Chamber Coffee & Ribbon Cutting Announced for the Star Emporium Downtown General Store
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to a Chamber Coffee and Ribbon Cutting ceremony this Thursday, January 21st at 8 a.m. to celebrate the grand opening of the Star Emporium General Store, 17 S. Main St. Coffee, juice and light refreshments will be served.
Star Emporium is a unique grocery store offering specialty and private label products in addition to staple foods and household necessities. The store also features meat, produce, ice cream and other items made locally or within the region and offers a salad bar and deli with limited seating to dine-in or carry-out.
Business owner Bill Michaud of BAJA Investments and team are excited to provide this service to the Downtown Historic District and the community. Through an agreement with Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, the store will soon provide food storage space and delivery programs to address food insecurities.
Contact the Chamber of Commerce at (620) 223-3566 for more information.
KCC will hold virtual workshop on Wednesday to discuss Evergy’s STP
What: The Kansas Corporation Commission will be conducting the third of four virtual workshops designed to learn more about Evergy’s Sustainability Transformation Plan and how it will affect ratepayers.
Details: Each workshop will cover a specific topic related to the plan. The subject of Wednesday’s workshop is Enhanced Customer Experience. Evergy representatives will make a presentation followed by questions from Commissioners and intervenors in the general investigation docket. The Commission opened the investigation to evaluate whether the STP is in the public interest.
The general investigation docket is available on the KCC’s website at:
MANHATTAN, Kansas — The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety and lodging program will offer monthly online webinars on food safety issues beginning Monday, January 25, 2021. The free webinar series will cover a variety of food safety issues that are of interest to food business operators, managers and workers.
Each 30-minute webinar will consist of a presentation by food safety and lodging inspectors from across the state, followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions of the presenters and other KDA-FSL staff. These webinars are an outreach of the Food Protection Task Force, which serves to expand the knowledge base of the food and feed industry in Kansas. The FPTF creates connections and relationships which foster collaboration when developing materials and strategies for intervention, prevention and response to foodborne illness.
The first six months of the webinar series have been scheduled. Each presentation will take place at 3:00 p.m. CST.
January 25 Remote Food Safety Inspections During COVID-19
February 22 Choosing the Right Practice: Cooling and Reheating of Foods
March 29 Food Safety on the Go: Food Trucks, Trailers, Tents and Carts
April 26 Staying Ahead of the Game: What Food Service Managers Need to Know
May 24 Dealing With Pests in a Food Establishment
June 28 Limiting the Spread of Germs: How Employees Can Make a Difference
Registration for the January and February online webinars is now open. Register on the KDA Food Protection Task Force page at www.agriculture.ks.gov/FPTF. There is no cost to participate, but you must register to receive the login access information.
For more information about the webinar series or about food safety in Kansas, contact the KDA food safety and lodging program at 785-564-6767 or [email protected].
This webinar series serves to support KDA’s mission, which includes a commitment to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth and helping to ensure a safe food supply, promoting public health and safety, and providing consumer protection.
The Uniontown Eagles traveled to Altoona-Midway for the Varsity games on Friday, January 15. Both teams were victorious against the Jets.
The Lady Eagles defeated the Jets 63-29. Danielle Howard led the team in points, garnering 23 and shooting 100% from the free throw line. She also had 9 rebounds, 6 assists, and 4 steals. Kaydra Woods also shot 100% from the line and had 8 boards. Brooklynn Dreisbach had 7 rebounds, while Sammie Hampton and Karleigh Schoenberger each had 4. Schoenberger also scored 14 points and had 3 assists. Aiden Holt had 3 assists and 2 steals.
“It was good to have a few Junior Varsity girls get some valuable court time tonight,” said Coach Miller. “Looking forward to competing in our 1st Annual Kenny Holt Memorial Tournament on Tuesday.”
The Varsity boys also beat Altoona with a final score of 58-30. Jake Harvey scored 18 points, Clay Sutterby following with 14. Sutterby also had 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Drew Perry had 6 assists and 4 rebounds, while Cade Goodridge and Jake Harvey had 5. Harvey also had 6 steals as well.
“I thought we played really hard against Altoona,” Coach Hays commented. “We were able to get some stops on defense that led to some fast break opportunities. clay Sutterby controlled the paint on both ends and Jake Harvey was very active on the defensive end with 6 steals. We shared the ball well on the offensive end. We play a good team in KC Christian on Tuesday, so we need to fine tune some things and prepare for a 4-quarter battle.”
The JV girls were also able to play in a JV tournament on Saturday. They defeated Fort Scott 37-30 and lost to Erie 46-49.
Gwenyth Fry led the Fort Scott game with 10 points, Brooklynn Dreisbach following with 9. Fry and Rylee Coulter had 7 and 8 rebounds, respectively. Coulter also had 4 steals, and Camryn Davis had 3 assists.
In the Erie game, Laney Covey scored 16 points and Rylee Coulter scored 12. Coulter also had 6 assists and 3 boards. Gwenyth Fry had 8 rebounds and 2 steals.
Coach Miller commented, “Our Junior Varsity girls competed well today. Up to this point in the season, we have only been able to play one JV game. The girls came out ready and beat Ft. Scott to start the morning off. Unfortunately, we ended our day with a competitive loss to Erie. Coach Walker and I are extremely proud of our Junior Varsity team.”
The Kenny Holt Memorial Tournament will take place in Uniontown on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday the week of the 18th.
The City Commission will meet for a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 19th, 2021 at City Hall in the City Commission meeting room at 123 South Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas. The City Commission will meet and recess into Executive Session to discuss non-elected personnel.
This meeting will be broadcast on the City’s You tube channel. This meeting is open to the public.
(Washington, D.C., January 19, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. issued the following statement regarding Senate impeachment proceedings:
“Tomorrow, my wife Laina and I will both be attending the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden to witness the peaceful transition to a new Administration.
“As leaders, we must now do everything we can in the coming months to ensure the levers of government are fully operational. Not only is it unconstitutional to impeach a President after he leaves office, I firmly believe an impeachment effort at this juncture will only raise already heated temperatures of the American public and further divide our country at a time when we should be focused on bringing the country together and moving forward. Whether it’s getting the COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of all those who want and need it, boosting job recovery, or opening our economy back up to pre-pandemic levels, we have real work to do.
“Without a doubt, there are brighter days ahead for our country, and looking back should not be on our agenda.”
The 2021 session began with state legislators taking an oath Monday, January 11, 2021 to uphold the U.S. Constitution and the Kansas Constitution. This happens every four years in the senate and two years in the house. It is a reminder of our duty and the foundation in which our forefathers established and defended.
This session is already unique because of the pandemic. However, it is not unique because of the political games and posturing being played in Topeka – which are disappointing and not what Kansans need or deserve. The gamesmanship and politics surfaced quickly, when legislators opposing bills cried foul at the pace, in an attempt to block legislation. Most people understand we need to complete our work as expeditiously as possible.
Property Tax Transparency, Senate Bill (SB) 13, was available the week before session, as was the Senate Tax Committee schedule. This legislation was contained in last year’s bill CCR HB 2702, that passed both chambers with a supermajority. However, it did not became law because a taxpayer funded government lobbyist asked the Governor to veto the bill and she did. It was at the end of session and time ran out for a veto override. It makes sense to work the legislation at the beginning of the 2021 session, which gives plenty of time for passage. Hopefully, we may not need a veto override because the Governor may realize how important transparency is to Kansas taxpayers.
SB13 has four major parts. First, it would establish a process in the property tax system so that property taxes would not automatically increase but would require a vote of the local government to bring in more money than the previous year. This would stop the shell game of automatic valuation increases resulting in more taxes owed; second, normal maintenance would not increase the valuation of a property; third, county treasurers would have an option to establish payment plans for property taxes; and fourth, it would remove the property tax lid that has resulted in tax increases in many counties over the past few years. The bill passed the Senate 34 to 1. I voted Yes.
Emergency Power Extension, SB 14, would extend the Governor’s emergency powers thru March 31, 2021. Kansas is a part-time legislature and has often turned over legislative authority to the Governor in an emergency. This pandemic has demonstrated that is dangerous. The Governor attempted to shutdown churches on Easter weekend, demanded a statewide shutdown of many businesses, attempted to implement a statewide mask mandate, and the list goes on. However, the bill passed the Senate 34 to 1. As with most legislation, there was some good items in the bill. It was not enough to sway me to support the bill after hearing your concerns of government overreach. During debate, one senator tried to kill the bill and said we shouldn’t let federal money sway us from doing what is right. I guess that senator lost their intestinal fortitude because when it came time to vote, that person chose not to vote yes or no on the bill.
As we face uncertain times, keep in mind Plato’s words, “Good actions give strength to ourselves and inspire good actions in others” and the words of Ronald Reagan, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream, It must be fought for, protected and handed on for them to do the same.”
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
In response to Missouri’s implementation of the COVID-19 vaccination priority Phase 1B, many have inquired to Nevada Regional Medical Center (NRMC) as to when and how they might schedule an appointment to be vaccinated. However, NRMC and most other approved vaccinators in Missouri face a similar challenge that they have yet to receive any phase 1B vaccine doses from the state.
Although individuals who qualify for Phase 1B vaccination may not be able to schedule an appointment at this time, they are able to request notification when it becomes available to them. For this purpose, NRMC has launched a vaccine information call center at (417) 448-2120. This line is answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by live receptionists. Individuals may also complete a form online to be added to the notification list at www.nrmchealth.com/vaccine. Questions about the vaccine may also be emailed to [email protected].
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About Nevada Regional Medical Center Serving a six-county area since 1937, Nevada Regional Medical Center is a 71-bed acute, intensive and skilled care hospital. Nevada Regional Medical Center has earned recognition as a respected regional medical center for its comprehensive health care services, skilled and caring employees and state-of-the-art medical technology. Staff represent more than a dozen medical specialties, including family practice, women’s services, neurology, urology, psychiatry, orthopedics, wound care services, and general, vascular, thoracic and oncological surgery. Additionally, consultation clinics are held regularly by specialists in oncology, pulmonology, podiatry, ear, nose, and throat and cardiology.
Governor Laura Kelly to Close Capitol Complex, Administration Buildings Tuesday and Wednesday
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced the State Office Buildings in the Capitol Complex, which includes Curtis, Landon, and Eisenhower, will be closed starting tomorrow, January 19, and Wednesday, January 20. Additional administration buildings will also be closed.
“The safety and wellbeing of our employees is my top priority,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “These steps are taken out of an abundance of caution – and I thank all employees for their patience and understanding during this time.”
Employees are instructed to work remotely. If an employee’s regular duties require them to be in the office – and they cannot work from home – they are instructed not to report to work Tuesday, January 19 or Wednesday, January 20.
Governor Kelly encourages agency heads with offices in the immediate surrounding area beyond the State Office Buildings to follow similar procedure.
The Statehouse will be open for individuals having business with the Legislature, Governor’s or Lt. Governor’s Offices. All Statehouse access will be through the Visitor Center entrance only.
