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Obituary

Obituary of Joseph Edward “Ed” McCracken

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Mar 2, 1928 – July 5, 2022

 

Joseph Edward “Ed” McCracken, age 94 of Hiattville died July 5, 2022 at Via Christi  Hospital in Pittsburg. The son of Joe and Nellie (Peelle) McCracken, Ed was born on the family farm only a mile from where he lived most of his adult life.

 

When WWII broke out and his older brothers were called into service, he dropped out of Girard High School to run the family farm.  After the war, he continued his education, graduating Fort Scott High School in 1948.

 

In 1959, he married Elma Pellett in Fort Scott.  She preceded him in death on October 25, 2005.

 

Over the years Ed farmed, worked for the Goodlander Mill, and worked for KDOT.   In his later years, he continued working around the farm and honed his cooking skills often baking bread and making his famous cinnamon rolls.

 

He was known for his big heart and willingness to help others. He also had the ability to fix almost anything and sometimes without duct tape. He will also be remembered for his amazing ability to remember dates, his strength, and his strong work ethic. Ed played as hard as he worked, playing baseball for several teams and bowling for many years.

 

Ed is survived by daughters Linda (Rod) Thomson, Olathe, KS and Ester McCracken of the home; grandsons Jacob (Victoria) Thomson, Oswego, IL and Jared Thomson, Henderson, NV; and many nieces and nephews who treasured their time with him.  He was a special uncle to several, none more than Steve and Brandon Fisher.

 

Last, but not least, he will be missed by Tucker and Brylee, two of his many beloved pets over the years.

 

Besides his wife, Ed was predeceased by his parents and 10 siblings: O’Ella Ross, Ester Fisher, Dewey McCracken, Wm. (Howard) McCracken (MIA WWII), Beth McCracken (Infant), Ruby Niemeir, Dee Burnam, Ruth McCarty, Don McCracken, and Carol (Kay) Davis.

 

A memorial service will be held at 1:00 P.M. Saturday, July 9th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Private burial will take place at a later date at the Memory Gardens Cemetery.

Memorials are suggested to Care to Share 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.

 

 

Gordon Parks Museum

Temporarily Closed: Gordon Parks Museum

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 Due to problems with the air–conditioning unit, The Gordon Parks Museum will be closed to the public effective July 6, 2022 until repairs can be completed.


Tickets can still be purchased in person for the Charlie Redd & Luna Voo Doo music fundraiser performance event this Friday, July 8 at the Liberty Theater, but please give us a call before you plan to come and purchase the tickets. 620–223–2700 ext. 5850.


Please feel free to contact us to schedule a visit or tour for later date 620–223–2700 ext. 5850 or email gordonparks[email protected].

Thank you for your support and patience.
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Area News, Bourbon County

2022 Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation Cruise Night Raises $12,000

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Dave Petersen during the live auction portion of the evening. Submitted photo.

A crowd of 170 people attended the 2022 Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation Cruise Night Fundraiser on Tuesday, June 14th.  This evening was the Foundation’s first in-person Cruise Night since 2019 Cruise Night was held at Central Park Pavilion in Chanute and began at 6 pm.

Approximately $12,000 was raised during the evening from stretch, silent and live auctions.

 

Attendees were treated to a delicious three course meal furnished by Dalton’s Back 9.  Members of the Neosho Valley Busy Bee’s 4H Club were servers for the evening.  Door prizes were courtesy of Tri-Valley’s Fort Scott Greenhouse.

Jeff Ports holds one of the two door prizes given out during the evening. Submitted photo.

 

As in year’s past, the live auction was the highlight of the evening.  For 2022, we had a new item courtesy of Monarch Cement Company; Wichita Thunder Hockey Tickets and use of Monarch’s 12-person suite at INTRUST Bank Arena.  Other items auctioned off include:  a Breckenridge CO vacation package courtesy of Home Savings Bank; a Branson MO vacation package courtesy of Community National Bank; a full-size recliner courtesy of Ruddick’s Furniture in Fort Scott; Dinner for 10 courtesy of Brenda Harrison; and a seven day Cruise from Holland America courtesy of Monarch Cement Company.

 

All money raised from the evening will go towards the Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation projects.  Since 2001, the Foundation has built six homes and acquired six additional homes and a duplex.  The houses are located in our communities of Chanute, Fort Scott, Humboldt, Iola, Moline, and Neodesha.  These houses are home to sixty-four of our neighbors with intellectual and developmental disabilities served by Tri-Valley Developmental Services.  The Foundation is currently remodeling homes in Humboldt and Neodesha.

 

“The evening was fantastic”, said Bill Fiscus, CEO. “The food, drawings and conversation were phenomenal.  Thank you to everyone who attended.  We hope you had an enjoyable evening and look forward to seeing you all in 2023.”

A big thank you goes to the evening’s sponsors.  Lido Level:  Community National Bank; Home Savings Bank; Monarch Cement Company; Newkirk, Dennis & Buckles; and Steve Faulkner Ford.

Promenade Level: Ash Grove Cement Company; Heartland Homecare; Hofer & Hofer & Associates; and IMA

Mezzanine Level: Ashley Clinic; Landmark National Bank; Neosho County Community College;

Neodesha Family Dentistry; and Sonic Drive Ins of Chanute and Iola.

Riviera Level:  Donald Davis CPA; Hi-Lo Industries; Cheney Witt Chapel; and H & H Agency of Bourbon & Linn Counties.

Special thanks go to Dave Petersen who served as Emcee; Larry Holman for photography; and John Graham for sound and lighting.

 

 

Fort Scott, Government

FS Planning Commission Meets July 11

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The Fort Scott Planning Commission will meet on Monday, July 11th, 2022 at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas.  This meeting will be held to consider the following:

 

A change of zoning from C-2 (Commercial) to C-3 (Commercial) for the property at 2204 S. Main Street and a proposed lot split;

 

A change of zoning from C-2 (Commercial) to C-3 (Commercial) for the property at 0 S. Clark & 0 S Wilson Streets;

 

A change of zoning from C-2 (Commercial) to C-3 (Commercial) for the property at 6 E. 13th Street as well as a conditional use permit to operate a small animal hospital.

 

This meeting is open to the public. This meeting will be made available via the City’s you tube channel at City of Fort Scott.

 

Government, Kansas

KS: Rainy Day Fund is $1 Billion

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Governor Laura Kelly Continues Fiscal Responsibility with Nearly $1 Billion
Rainy Day Fund

~~Fiscal Year 2022 is First Time in Over Two Decades
Kansas Hasn’t Gone into Debt~~ 

TOPEKA – Highlighting her record-setting levels of fiscal responsibility, Governor Laura Kelly today announced that Kansas has closed out Fiscal Year 2022 (“FY22”) with a Rainy Day Fund balance of $969.0 million and without having to take out a certificate of indebtedness. FY22 marks the first year since Fiscal Year 1999 that the Kansas State Finance Council did not have to vote to take out a short-term loan to cover the state’s day-to-day expenses.

At the start of the Kelly Administration, there were no savings in the state’s Rainy Day Fund, and Kansas ranked last compared to other states when it came to saving for its future. Earlier this year, Governor Kelly signed a budget that made a historic $500 million deposit in the Fund and an Omnibus bill that had another $250 million deposit. Before the fiscal year closed, $219.0 million more was transferred from the State General Fund. The last deposit was made because FY22 revenues continued to beat estimates, leaving the state with higher than anticipated levels of cash.

“When I first came into office, Kansas had no savings, and in fact, was going into debt every year. My Administration worked to put Kansas on a consistent path of fiscal stability and economic growth,” said Governor Kelly. “That work has paid off. This past fiscal year, we were able to save for the future in record numbers, fully fund K-12 education, make historic investments in law enforcement and higher education, and axe taxes – all without going into debt.”

Kansas’ Rainy Day Fund was created in 2017 when the Kansas Legislature ended the failed Brownback-era tax experiment that gutted state budgets and downgraded the state’s credit rating. The previous all-time high balance in the Fund was $81.9 million.

Obituary

Obituary of Janice Pent

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Janice Ilene Pent, age 76, resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Saturday, July 2, 2022, at the Via Christi Emergency Room.  She was born July 17, 1945, in Ft. Scott, the daughter of Ivan Louis and Alice Faye Embry Smith.

She married Richard Pent on January 9, 1963, in Nevada, MO.  He preceded her in death on July 15, 1994.

Janice was an avid KC Royals and Chiefs fan.  To say Patrick Mahomes was her favorite is an understatement.

She enjoyed reading novels and watching game shows.  Janice was a very giving person who always had an open door for those in need.  She was a loving and caring grandmother who will be greatly missed.

Survivors include two daughters Ronda Eastwood and husband Dan, Ft. Scott, and Tracy Jordan and Kevin Gray, Cincinnati, OH; a son, Patrick Pent and wife Lisa, Ottawa, KS; a brother, Billy Smith and wife Linda, CA; 10 grandchildren, Ashley, Derek, Mitchell, Danielle, Jordan, Taylor, Kelsey, Amber, Cameron, and Jacob; 22 great grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and finally, her beloved cat Ebony.

Besides her husband, she was preceded in death by a son, Richard “Ricky” Pent; a daughter, Angela Pent; four brothers, Donald, Neil, Harold, and Gary Smith; two sisters, Rosalie Cox, and Joyce Johnson; and her parents.

Rev. Chuck Russell will conduct funeral services at 1:00 PM Friday, July 8th, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the Evergreen Cemetery.

The family will receive friends Friday from 11:00 until 1:00 at the funeral home.

Chiefs and Royals attire is encouraged.

Memorials are suggested to the Janice Pent Memorial Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Ft. Scott, KS 66701.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Entertainment, Fort Scott, Uncategorized

Priscilla Howe to Perform for Summer Reading on July 12

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Priscilla Howe to Perform for Summer Reading on July 12

 

Storyteller Priscilla Howe will perform on July 12 at 10 a.m. in the main auditorium at Memorial Hall.

Priscilla tells original stories with the help of her puppet friends. Learn more about Priscilla’s work at her website: https://www.priscillahowe.com

Library performances are free and open to the public. This event is part of the library’s summer reading program. Learn more about and register for the program at: https://fortscott.mykansaslibrary.org/summer-reading/youth-summer-reading-2022

This performance is made possible in part by partnerships with Garnett Public Library and Mound City Public Library and is provided in partnership with USD 234.

Bourbon County, Fair, K-State Extension

County Fair: Bringing Communities Together

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Barbara Stockebrand. K-State Extension Agent. Submitted photo.

The County Fair is an exciting time for 4-H and FFA members and the surrounding community.  It is an opportunity to showcase the handiwork they have made and show the animals they have worked with for months leading up to the fair season.

Through their various projects with these youth programs, the members have “learned by doing.”  They have learned how to work with others, learned to make decisions, and take responsibility to complete their projects.  At the county fair, their projects are judged on their quality of workmanship, ingenuity, and skills learned throughout the project.

While competition is an important part of the fair, the real experience for these youth members lies in competing to better their own skills.  It is exciting to win ribbons and trophies, but sometimes the lessons learned by those who don’t win are the most valuable.  Not only are important things learned about their projects, they learn more about themselves.  Growth takes place by learning from mistakes.  Being a good sport when you don’t quite make the mark you would have liked, is often one of the best life lessons that can be learned.

Sometimes we forget that the County Fair is not just for the youth.  Most of our county fairs offer an open class division with divisions similar to those offered for 4-H and FFA – open to all ages.  Some county fairs allow open class entries from adjacent counties.  This is a great way for adults to show off their talents and directly participate in the county fair.

One of the take-aways for county fair spectators is a better sense of the talent and creativity of those around you.  I’m always amazed with the originality and intricate work our youth and adults bring to the area fairs.

The county fair brings locals together for a celebration of their community and offers something for everyone.  It is a unique experience that can really bring out the best in communities.

The Southwind Extension District fairs will be taking place this month.  Bourbon County begins the circuit in Fort Scott on July 16 and runs through July 23.  Woodson County’s fair in Yates Center also starts July 16 and continues through July 20.  Neosho County fair in Erie takes place July 21-July 25.  Allen County fair in Iola is slated for July 28-July 31.  For individual county events and rules, check out the county fair books online at www.southwind.ksu-edu.

See you at the fair!

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