Norma Jean Cowan, 89, of Nevada, Missouri and formerly of Devon, passed away late Tuesday evening, September 21, 2021, at Freeman Hospital in Joplin, Missouri. She was born May 30, 1932, in Fort Scott, Kansas, the daughter of Archie Jesse and Irma E. (Shoemaker) Riggs. She married Billy Joe Cowan on August 12, 1951, in Devon, Kansas, and he survives of the home.
Norma worked as a secretary and bookkeeper, for National Land Bank in Fort Scott, as well as The Western Insurance Company.
Together, Norma and Bill and the family,owned and operated the Devon Oil Co., from 1954 through 1972. They made their home in Devon, Kansas from 1954 until 1998, then moved to Nevada, Missouri. Norma was a member of the Nevada United Methodist Church.
In addition to her husband Bill, Norma is also survived by her children, Diana S. Cowan of Beaufort, North Carolina, and Phillip Alan Cowan and wife Lisa of Tulsa, Oklahoma; two grandchildren, Zachary Cowan and Seth Cowan, and one great-grandchild.
Norma was preceded in death by her parents; two brothers, Gerald Riggs, and Harold “Bud” Riggs; sister, Wanda Higgins, and step-grandson, Daniel Mace.
Rev. Sharon Freeman will conduct funeral services at 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 29, 2021, at the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.
Burial will follow in the Centerville Cemetery.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Nevada United Methodist Church and may be left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall Street, P.O. Box 309, Fort Scott, Kansas, 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.
James Eldon “Jim” Hoover, 60, of Joplin, Missouri, passed away September 20, 2021, at his home. He was born October 19, 1960, in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Eldon Lee and Forestine Rosetta (Miller) Hoover.
Jim served in the US Army and was a Respiratory Therapist. He loved riding his Victory motorcycle.
Jim is survived by his children, Jeremy Hoover, Fort Scott, John Hoover, and Erica Hoover, both of Miami, Oklahoma; four sisters, Denise Imel (Chuck) of Tampa, Florida, Teresa Maki of Alma, Missouri, Linda Prior (Ian) of Tampa, Florida, and Sandra Fagan (Ed) of Honolulu, Hawaii; thirteen grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.
He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Cheryl Ann Hoover; a brother-in-law, John Maki; a son, Gabe Hoover, and a grandson, Canaan Hoover.
Graveside services will be held at 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at the Fort Scott National Cemetery under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.
The family will receive friends Monday evening, September 27, 2021, 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the funeral home.
Military Honors will be presented by the Kansas National Guard Military Honors Funeral Detail.
Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced Kansas will adopt the CDC’s Booster Recommendations and has authorized all COVID-19 vaccine providers to begin administering Pfizer booster shots to all eligible Kansans today.
“The COVID-19 vaccine is free, safe, effective, and it is our best tool to beat this virus,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Today’s announcement from the CDC will provide additional protection to the most vulnerable Kansans and our frontline healthcare workers. But our work to defeat this pandemic is not done. The best way for us to get out of this pandemic is to work together to ensure our friends, neighbors, and communities are all vaccinated against COVID-19.”
After thorough review, the CDC now recommends the Pfizer booster shot for the following Kansans whom have completed their primary Pfizer series:
People aged 65 years and older, regardless of a medical condition, should receive a Pfizer booster shot
Residents in long-term care settings should receive a Pfizer booster shot
People aged 18-64 years who are at increased risk for COVID-19 exposure and transmission because of occupational or institutional setting may receive a Pfizer booster shot, based on their individual benefits and risks.
The vaccine booster dose only applies to individuals who completed the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine series at least 6 months ago. Eligibility for a booster dose based on an underlying medical condition will only require self-attestation – a prescription or assessment from a health care provider is not required.
The COVID-19 vaccine is the most direct path to ending this pandemic. To find a COVID-19 vaccine clinic visit Vaccines.gov.
9/24 & 9/25 ~ CRAZY DAYS SIDEWALK SALE DOWNTOWN & AROUND. 14 stores participating! See flyer below for details.
9/24 ~ FRIDAY NIGHT CONCERT FEATURING Steve Fortenberry AT HERITAGE PARK PAVILION 7-8 PM. Click herefor info.
9/24 & 9/25 ~ FORT SCOTT LIVESTOCK SALE. Click herefor info.
9/24 & 9/25 ~ ESTATE SALE OF MINNIE LOU ALLEN.649 Marblecrest Terrace, 9am to 5pm both Friday & Saturday.
9/24 thru 9/30 ~ FORT CINEMA:
Cry Macho, Malignant & Shang-Chi. Check out what is coming to theatres, clickhere.
9/24 ~ RANCH RODEO: 7pm at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds for the Doug Hazelbaker Memorial, see flyer below for all the details. Sharky’s will be onsite with food & beverage!
9/24 ~ BOILER ROOM BREWHAUS: Open Mic Night, clickherefor more info.
9/24 ~ FRIDAY EVENING OF FUN AT THE MUSEUM OF CREATIVITY – Open play session and crafts 3:30-7:30 pm, Game Night 8:30-11:30 pm, only $1 admission! Visit and Like their Facebook pagefor more info.
9/25 ~ FARMERS’ MARKET ~ 8 am to noon, Skubitz Plaza in front of the Fort.
9/25 ~ KANSAS CONCEAL CARRY CLASS ~ 8 am, click here for info.
9/25 ~ KDVS 4-Person Scramble Fundraiser at Woodland Hills Golf Course.To register a team, clickherefor more information.
9/25 ~ DON & MARY PEMBERTON MOVING AUCTION.10:30am by Anderson Auction Service, 994 187th Terrace just north of the Municipal Airport, click here for more info.
9/25 ~ HAZEL BEE INK POP-UP SHOP AT COMMON GROUND.Unique items by Taylor Schilling, 10:30am-2pm, click here for info.
9/25 ~ NATIONAL PUBLIC LANDS DAY AT THE FORT SCOTT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE.9am to close, stop by and help with a project, click here for more info.
9/25 & 9/26 ~ DOUG HAZELBAKER MEMORIAL RODEO EVENTS ALL WEEKEND: See flyer below for info. – Sharky’s onsite all weekend at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds arena with food & beverage! Silent auction, live entertainment and more – check it out!
9/25 ~ KANSAS ROCK RECREATION PARK – KANSAS KRAWL EVENT & COMPETITION. Click here for more information.
9/25 ~ EKTEC RODEO IN UNIONTOWN. Clickherefor more information.
9/25 ~ ROLLER SKATING AT BUCK RUN COMMUNITY CENTER AT 735 SCOTT AVE. Click herefor more information.
9/29 ~ BIKE NIGHT AT HOLMTOWN PUB. Click herefor more information.
9/30 ~ PIONEER HARVEST PARADE. 6pm, Downtown Fort Scott. Deadline for entries on Tuesday, September 28th.
10/1 thru 10/3 ~ PIONEER HARVEST FIESTA. Bourbon County Fairgrounds all weekend, see flyer below for info.
10/1 ~ FRIDAY NIGHT CONCERT IN THE PARK WITH THE HEMPHILL FAMILY BAND: Heritage Park Pavilion, 1st & Main St., bring a lawn chair from 7-8pm.
10/1 ~ PATIO CONCERT, WEDNESDAYS AT THE HERMAN’S, PRESENTED BY THE BOURBON COUNTY ARTS COUNCIL: Patio of Liberty Theatre, 8-10pm, advance ticket reservations required. Click here for info.
10/2 ~ CARE TO SHARE/SHARING BUCKET FALL FESTIVAL: 15th Annual and THE LAST ONE! Come out and enjoy! Click here for more information.
10/2 ~ FSCC MINI CHEER & DANCE CLINIC: Registration 8:30-9am, clinic 9-10am, $20, click here for info.
SAVE THE DATE:
OCTOBER 6th ~ Dare to Dream Women’s Entrepreneurship Series.Click here for info.
OCTOBER 7th thru 10th ~ Gordon Parks Annual Celebration.Click here for the schedule.
OCTOBER 8th ~ Clark Street Lights Scarefest Haunted House begins.See flyer below for dates/times.
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad announces the closure of Wall Street at the railroad tracks will be closed from 8:00 a.m. on Monday, September 27th, 2021 until 5:00 p.m. on Friday, October 1st, 2021. The railroad tracks will be closed to rehab the crossing. Local traffic should avoid this area during this time frame.
Should you have any questions, call City Hall at 620-223-0550.
We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience during this time.
A family of four entered a local restaurant, ordered lunch, and holding hands, bowed their heads to pray.
Suddenly a woman at a nearby table turned and confronted them. “I don’t mean to be rude, but I don’t need you to shove your God in my face. I have the right to eat without you forcing your religion down my throat.”
The father quietly answered, “We have the right to pray in public.”
Not so, according to the offended woman. “You’re making me really uncomfortable. I don’t believe what you believe, so you probably need to stop.”
As the family continued praying, the woman’s volume escalated. “I’m just in shock. I can’t believe you need to put your values on someone else.”
Other restaurant customers were privy to the dialogue.
Intentionally. After all, this was the television show, What Would You Do? that is hosted by John Quiñones. If you haven’t seen it, you should try to catch an episode.
Argumentative scenes are staged, unbeknownst to the non-actors whose reactions are caught by hidden cameras. The hope is that someone will have the guts to defend the one being mistreated or attacked.
In this case, a bold patron finally spoke up. “I think you need to leave this room or put your fingers in your ears. Why should they pray silently?”
The woman (remember, an actress) refused to be silenced. “They should get out.” The gutsy non-actor refused to quit. “I don’t think so. You need to shut up so they can pray.”
Following the scene, Quiñones entered with his camera crew to interview the intervener as well as those who did nothing.
One who refused to speak up had this to say: “I thought this was escalating and was going to ruin the meal for everybody in this room.” (Good excuse to say nothing, right?)
Switch to the next scene.
Same actors, but this time in a different restaurant where another couple joined the praying family.
When the verbal assaults started, an observing family got up to leave.
The actress-woman, spewing her anti-prayer-in-public comments, addressed the exiting group: “Thanks for agreeing with me.”
She was not prepared for the father’s comment.
“We are leaving because of you.”
What would you have done?
1 Thessalonians 5:14 is a passage of Scripture that tells us to “…encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
Put yourself in that restaurant. Would you defend the one being bullied, or would you, like the majority of the patrons in the examples above, say nothing?
I can tell you what I would do, and remaining silent would not be one of the options.
I’m just not sure my defense of the ones praying would be being “patient with them all” (“all” meaning the one criticizing the pray-ers).
So, Christians, let’s put the shoe on the other foot.
What if you were in a restaurant and the people at the table next to you prayed aloud to Allah or even Satan?
Would you react unlovingly and spew venomous assaults?
Would you walk out, feeling that your religious beliefs had been maligned, informing the manager that you would never cross the doorway of that restaurant again?
Or would you back those praying against others who might vocalize their displeasure?
It’s easy to defend those with whom you agree, but when they go against your beliefs? What would you do?
Kansas DCF Announces Permanent Increase to Food Assistance Benefits
Temporary increase during pandemic to end Sept. 30
TOPEKA – Kansas Department for Children and Families Secretary Laura Howard today announced that Kansas residents who receive food assistance will benefit from a permanent increase in the maximum benefit amount beginning Oct. 1.
“Access to healthy food is a key component of a family’s well-being” Howard said. “This permanent increase helps us address food insecurity, especially among children, which has a positive impact on the overall health of our community”
The change is taking place due to the 2018 Farm Bill that directed USDA to re-evaluate the Thrifty Food Plan which is used to calculate benefits for food assistance. Through this year’s adjustment, the maximum allowable allotment increased to $250 for a household of one. The maximum allotment amounts for households the size of two or more also have increased.
Other annual adjustments also have been made:
The gross and net income limits have increased this year
The maximum excess shelter deduction is increasing from $569 to $597
The standard utility allowance is increasing from $364 to $392
The limited utility allowance is increasing from $247 to $286
The telephone standard is increasing from $35 to $37
The Standard Medical Deduction remains the same $175
Most households will see changes in their benefits for the month of October to reflect the annual adjustments.
Additionally, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) temporarily increased food assistance benefits by 15% from March 2021 through September 2021 due to the national public health emergency.
The temporary 15 percent increase ends Sept. 30 and will be replaced with the new amounts. Taken together, food assistance recipients will see a 10 percent increase from pre-March 2021 benefit levels.
The chart shows the Oct. 1 maximum benefits as well as gross income and net income limits for food assistance:
Household size
October 1, 2021 maximum benefits
October 1, 2021
maximum gross income
October 1, 2021
maximum net income
1
$250
$1396
$1074
2
$459
$1888
$1452
3
$658
$2379
$1830
4
$835
$2871
$2209
5
$992
$3363
$2587
6
$1190
$3855
$2965
7
$1316
$4347
$3344
8
$1504
$4839
$3722
Each additional person
+ $188
+ $492
+ $379
The minimum allotment is $20. All food assistance benefits are based on household size, household income and allowable deductions.
USDA provides shopping strategies and meal planning advice to help families serve more nutritious meals affordably through the following:
Carol Jean Carnes passed away September 18, 2021 at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland. She was born December 9, 1957 in Stafford, Kansas to Kenneth and Earline Costley Carnes.
She grew up in Wellington and on a farm near Weir, Kansas. Graduating from Columbus Unified High School, she received her B.S. and M.S. at Pittsburg State University in Economics. Earning her Doctorate in International Economics at Kansas State University, Carol moved to the Washington, D.C. area to take a job at the United States Department of Commerce. Shortly after moving, she was employed by the US. Treasury Department as an international economist, attending world economic conferences and analyzing foreign currencies, from 1985 to 2012. Since 2012, she had been employed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, where she began work as a Senior Cross Border Specialist, in the Office of Complex Financial Institutions. In her most recent position, she was a Senior Complex Financial Institution Specialist, within the Division of Complex Institution Supervision and Resolution. In her current position, Carol analyzed complex financial information and applied analytical tools, models, and methodologies, to help maintain the stability of the U.S. financial system.
Carol married Lawrence Nathan Heller October 12, 1997 in Washington DC. He survives as well as children Laura Katherine and William John Henry Heller, of the home.
She was known for her love of family, friends, reading and gardening. A lifelong learner, she had many interests and earned her Chartered Financial Analyst charter in 2011. Her faith was very important to her and a source of strength and comfort during her battle with leukemia.
Carol was preceded in death by her father, Kenneth.
She is survived by her husband and children, her mother, and a sister, Suzanne Hildebrand(Don), of Stafford, Kansas sister-in-laws Susan Heller and Ruth Catan of Bethesda, Maryland and many nieces and nephews.
Graveside services will be held at 11:00 P.M. Tuesday, September 28th at the Evergreen Cemetery in Ft. Scott, Kansas.
Family and friends may meet at the Cheney Witt Chapel on Tuesday prior to leaving for the cemetery at 10:45 A.M.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, Kansas. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
The Eagles’ volleyball team traveled to Marmaton Valley and Riverton last week, and to Pleasanton this past Tuesday. They were defeated by Yates Center (25-12, 25-14); Altoona Midway (25-12, 25-19), where Hannah Moore scored 5 points; Moran (25-15, 25-15); Galena (25-20, 25-18), where Kristy Beene scored 9 points and Gwen Fry was 7/8 with 2 kills; Columbus (25-17, 25-21), Madison Shepard scoring 6 points, going 7/8 on attacks and getting 1 kill; Riverton (25-4, 25-10); St. Paul (25-8, 25-9); and Pleasanton (25-16, 25-9). The girls are working hard to improve, but there’s a long road ahead of them this season. “The past few weeks have been busy with volleyball,” Coach Hall says. “We are continuing to work on improving our game.” The Lady Eagles are headed to Cherryvale on Saturday, September 25th.
