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COVID-19, Government

Farmer/Rancher Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

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USDA Adds Digital Options for Farmers and Ranchers to Apply for Coronavirus Food Assistance Program

Online portal, e-signature tool enable producers to apply from anywhere

WASHINGTON, June 25, 2020 – USDA’s Farm Service Agency will now accept applications for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP) through an online portal, expanding the options available to producers to apply for this program, which helps offset price declines and additional marketing costs because of the coronavirus pandemic. FSA is also leveraging commercial document storage and e-signature solutions to enable producers to work with local service center staff to complete their applications from home.

 

“We are doing everything we can to serve our customers and make sure agricultural producers impacted by the pandemic can quickly and securely apply for this relief program,” said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. “In addition to working with FSA staff through the phone, email and scheduled in-person appointments, we can now also take applications through the farmers.gov portal, which saves producers and our staff time.”

 

Through the portal, producers with secure USDA login credentials—known as eAuthentication—can certify eligible commodities online, digitally sign applications and submit directly to the local USDA Service Center. Producers who do not have an eAuthentication account can learn more and begin the enrollment process at farmers.gov/sign-in. Currently, the digital application is only available to sole proprietors or single-member business entities.

 

USDA Service Centers can also work with producers to complete and securely transmit digitally signed applications through two commercially available tools: Box and OneSpan. Producers who are interested in digitally signing their applications should notify their local service centers when calling to discuss the CFAP application process. You can learn more about these solutions at farmers.gov/mydocs.

 

USDA has several other options for producers to complete and submit their CFAP applications. These include:

  1. Downloading the AD-3114 application form from farmers.gov/cfap and manually completing the form to submit to the local USDA Service Center by mail, electronically or by hand delivery to an office drop box. In some limited cases, the office may be open for in-person business by appointment. Visit farmers.gov/coronavirus/service-center-status to check the status of your local office.
  2. Completing the application form using our CFAP Application Generator and Payment Calculator found at farmers.gov/cfap. This Excel workbook allows customers to input information specific to their operation to determine estimated payments and populate the application form, which can be printed, and then signed and submitted to their local USDA Service Center. 

 

Getting Help from FSA

New customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center.

 

All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can be downloaded from farmers.gov/cfap. For existing FSA customers, these documents are likely already on file.

 

Producers self-certify their records when applying for CFAP, and that documentation is not submitted with the application. However, producers may be asked for their documentation to support the certification of eligible commodities, so they should retain the information used to complete their application.

 

More Information

To find the latest information on CFAP, visit farmers.gov/cfap or call 877-508-8364.

 

All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. Service Centers that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent travel and visitors must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visitors may also be required to wear a face covering during their appointment. Field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. Our program delivery staff will be in the office, and they will be working with our producers in office, by phone and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.  

 

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Government

Dairy Safety Net Program Begins

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USDA Dairy Safety-Net Program Signup to Begin October 12

for the 2021 Coverage Period

Income-over-feed margin for April triggers second payment for 2020

WASHINGTON, June 18, 2020 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) announces that Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) safety-net signup for 2021 coverage will begin October 12 and will run through December 11, 2020. DMC has already triggered payments for two months for producers who signed up for 2020 coverage.

“If we’ve learned anything in the past six months, it’s to expect the unexpected,” said FSA Administrator Richard Fordyce. “Nobody would have imagined the significant impact that current, unforeseen circumstances have had on an already fragile dairy market.  It’s during unprecedented times like these that the importance of offering agricultural producers support through the delivery of Farm Bill safety-net programs such as DMC becomes indisputably apparent.”

The April 2020 income over feed cost margin was $6.03 per hundredweight (cwt.), triggering the second payment of 2020 for dairy producers who purchased the appropriate level of coverage under the Dairy Margin Coverage (DMC) program. The April margin reflects a more than a $3 drop from the March $9.15 cwt. income over feed cost margin.

As of June 15, FSA has issued more than $100 million in much-needed program benefits to dairy producers who purchased DMC coverage for 2020. 

Authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill, DMC is a voluntary risk management program that offers protection to dairy producers when the difference between the all-milk price and the average feed price (the margin) falls below a certain dollar amount selected by the producer. Over 13,000 operations enrolled in the program for the 2020 calendar year.

All USDA Service Centers are open for business, including some that are open to visitors to conduct business in person by appointment only. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency should call ahead and schedule an appointment. Service Centers that are open for appointments will pre-screen visitors based on health concerns or recent travel and visitors must adhere to social distancing guidelines. Visitors may also be required to wear a face covering during their appointment. Field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. Our program delivery staff will be in the office, and they will be working with our producers in office, by phone, and using online tools. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.  

For more information, visit farmers.gov DMC webpage or contact your local USDA service center. To locate your local FSA office, visit farmers.gov/service-center-locator.

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USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.

Fort Scott, Government, Uncategorized

Sewer Mapping For Fort Scott Starts This Month

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The City of Fort Scott has hired Midland GIS Solutions to survey and map the City’s sanitary sewer collection network. This generally consists of locating utility features with global positioning system (GPS) equipment.

This work will be ongoing during the months of July-September of 2020.

You may notice employees of Midland GIS Solutions working in your neighborhood. They will occasionally need access into and through private property. The City has easements to perform this type of work and Midland GIS will be as respectful and unobtrusive as possible while completing this project.

As with any major project, there will be some inconveniences at times,but no service will be interrupted while this project is taking place.

If you have any questions or concerns you may contact Midland GIS Solutions at (660) 562-0050 or contact Michael Mix at {620) 215-6319.

Obituary

Obituary of James Picht

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James Leon Picht, age 90, resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Tuesday, June 30th, 2020, at Medicalodge of Ft. Scott.

He was born February 8, 1930, in Hiattville, KS, the son of Glen Picht and Martha Payne Picht.

Jim attended school in Ft. Scott K-12 and then Fort Scott junior College, and then he attended Kansas State Teachers College in Pittsburg, KS.

Jim served in the U. S. Navy during the Korean War.

He then started his career in teaching. He served the Davenport, IA, school system for forty years as a teacher, then principal, retiring in 1995.

Jim married Joan Beck in 1958 in Davenport, IA, where they were members of St. John’s United Methodist Church. Jim returned to Ft. Scott in November 2018 and attended St. John’s United Methodist Church there.

Survivors include two granddaughters, Rachel Myers, and Rebekah Myers; and son-in-law Rev. Ron Myers. Also surviving are cousins, a nephew, and nieces.

He was preceded in death by his parents; his wife Joan; a daughter, Rev. Linda Myers; a son, David Picht; and a brother Don Picht.

There was cremation.

Private inurnment will take place in the U. S. National Cemetery, Ft. Scott. Memorial services will be held at a later to be announced date at St. John’s United Methodist Church, Ft. Scott.

Services are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Government, Health Care, Kansas

Nursing Homes Surveys and Inspections Expediated

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KDADS Contracts with Healthcare Management Solutions to Expedite Meeting Federal and State Survey and Inspection Requirements

TOPEKA –  Secretary Laura Howard announced today the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) has entered into a contract with Healthcare Management Solutions (HMS) that will help the agency expedite completion of focused infection control surveys (FICS) in federally certified nursing facilities as required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and inspection of all adult care homes in the state as mandated in Kansas House Bill 2016.

On March 4, 2020, CMS called for states to conduct focused surveys in Medicare/Medicaid certified facilities on infection control related to the COVID-19 pandemic. CMS document QSO-20-31-All, released June 1, 2020, requires states to complete 100 percent of FICS by July 31, 2020, to maintain full FY 2021 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act allocations.

Since the March 4 directive was received from CMS, 57 full-time KDADS surveyors have completed surveys in 169 of the state’s 332 certified, licensed facilities. KDADS has secured a contract with HMS to ensure Kansas facilities receive onsite targeted FICS in the required timeframe while existing and ongoing abuse, neglect and exploitation complaint investigations, required follow-up inspections and responses to identified positive cases of COVID-19 are also conducted.

“We believe partnering with HMS will allow us to better manage the critically important workload our surveyors have been tackling since March,” Secretary Howard said. “They have a good reputation for helping state survey agencies ensure facilities are in compliance and we’re certain they can assist us as we continue working to ensure nursing facility residents receive safe, quality care.”

States that complete 100 percent of their nursing home FICS by the July 31 target date will be able to request their entire FY 2020-FY2023 CARES Act funding allocation (at their discretion) and can also apply for redistributed funding from states that fail to meet CMS performance goals.

In addition to completing the FICS of nursing homes, CMS is also requiring states to implement the following COVID-19 survey activities:

  1. Perform onsite surveys (within 30 days of this memo) of nursing homes with previous COVID-19 outbreaks, defined as:
    • Cumulative confirmed cases/bed capacity at 10% or greater; or
    • Cumulative confirmed plus suspected cases/bed capacity at 20% or greater; or
    • Ten or more deaths reported due to COVID-19.

 

  1. Perform onsite surveys (within three to five days of identification) of any nursing home with 3 or more new COVID-19 suspected and confirmed cases in the since the last National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) COVID-19 report, or 1 confirmed resident case in a facility that was previously COVID-free. State Survey Agencies are encouraged to communicate with their State Healthcare Associated Infection coordinators prior to initiating these surveys.

 

  1. Starting in FY 2021, perform annual Focused Infection Control surveys of 20 percent of nursing homes based on State discretion or additional data that identifies facility and community risks.

 

Under HB 2016, passed during the 2020 Special Legislative Session, KDADS is also required to conduct infection control inspections at all adult care homes licensed by Kansas including those that are state licensed only. State licensed only facilities rely solely on state funding and oversight without federal dollars, to include assisted living facilities, Home Plus, Adult Day Care and Residential Health Care facilities. To be in compliance with the legislative mandate, inspections of these facilities are to be completed within 90 days of the effective date of HB 2016, or about September 30. Again, having HMS surveyors available will also help KDADS balance the demands between state licensed only facilities and federally certified nursing facility survey staff.

HMS employs federally certified nursing facility surveyors and has collaborated through contracts with KDADS and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to provide services in Kansas previously.

For more information on COVID-19, please visit the KDHE website at www.kdhe.ks.gov/coronavirus.

Government, Jobs, Kansas

Governor Kelly Praises KANSASWORKS Virtual Job Fair

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TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today applauded the success of the recent KANSASWORKS Statewide Virtual Job Fair, which involved some 165 employers and 1,497 jobseekers.

 

After the online event from Tuesday, June 23, to Thursday, June 25, participating employers reported strong response from people looking for work statewide.

 

“The economic impact of COVID-19 has led to an enormous need for workforce services in our state, but health and safety concerns mean in-person job fairs can’t happen,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “The virtual job fair was an innovative model to keep Kansans healthy and to keep Kansas open for business.”

 

The success of the virtual job fair demonstrated Kansans’ ability to adapt to challenges in providing a virtual tool to connect jobseekers with a variety of employment opportunities across the state. Employers represented in the June 23 virtual job fair included:

 

  • KanEquip Inc.
  • Foley Equipment
  • Fuller Industries
  • Johns Manville
  • National Beef
  • PKM Steel Service Inc.
  • Salina Regional Health Center
  • Cornejo
  • Russell Stover
  • Reser’s Fine Foods
  • Johnsonville
  • Dillons
  • Glassman Corporation
  • CivicPlus
  • ADT
  • Bombardier Aviation
  • Creekstone Farms
  • Southwest Medical Center
  • Farmers Insurance
  • Goodwill Industries of Kansas
  • Emprise Bank
  • Wichita Public Schools
  • The University of Kansas

 

“In these challenging times, we have to be flexible,” Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “I’m proud of our KANSASWORKS team for its creativity in making sure that Kansans continue to have access to employers in a way that keeps everyone safe.”

 

As concerns for the health and safety of Kansans remain high due to COVID-19, the Department of Commerce will maintain the virtual job fair system for the remainder of 2020. Statewide events will be held on the following dates:

 

  • July 28-30
  • August 25-27
  • September 22-24
  • October 27-29
  • December 8-9

 

As these dates get closer, updates will be provided with employer and jobseeker registration links for each individual virtual fair.

 

Fort Scott, Government

FS Zoning Board Meets July 6

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The Board of Zoning Appeals will meet on Monday, July 6th, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. in the City Commission Meeting Room at City Hall, 123 S. Main. This meeting is to consider a variance for residential property to allow the replacement of a garage with additional square footage for the property at 216 S. Eddy Street.

Please call the City Clerk at 620-223-0550 or email Diane Clay at [email protected] to sign up to speak under the public comment section.

The meetings are still limited to 45 total in number due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the room will only hold 14 due to the 6’ social distancing rules. Patrons will be let in one at a time at their scheduled time to ensure the public health orders are followed.

The City Commission meeting will still be available on the City’s YouTube channel.

Fort Scott, Government

FS Commission Meetings Open To Public July 7

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The City of Fort Scott City Commission meetings will begin to be opened to the public starting July 7th, 2020. If you are wanting to appear before the Commission and speak during the Public Comment section, it is imperative that you sign up beforehand and you will be given a specific time to speak.

Please call the City Clerk at 620-223-0550 or email Diane Clay at [email protected] to sign up to speak under the public comment section.

The meetings are still limited to 45 total in number due to the COVID-19 pandemic, however the room will only hold 14 due to the 6’ social distancing rules. Patrons will be let in one at a time at their scheduled time to ensure the public health orders are followed.

The City Commission meeting will still be available on the City’s YouTube channel.

Fort Scott, Schools

International Thespian Festival Attended Virtually By FSHS Students

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Film and theatre star Tina Fey, assisted by International Thespian Officer Anna Hastings from Olathe, and interpreter Jeffrey Johnson speaks with Thespians at the International Thespian Festival. Submitted photo.

Fort Scott High School Thespians got the opportunity to attend an entire week of theatre performances, workshops, and livestream events at the first-ever Virtual International Thespian Festival.

 

The annual festival was held June 22-26, 2020. The students from FSHS who qualified to compete nationally in individual events attended this year’s event along with FSHS Thespian Director Angie Bin.

2020 senior Mesa Jones and sophomore Jenna Stockstill competed in Musical Solo and junior Ashanti Green competed in Monologues. Each student received an “Excellent” rating on her performance. They qualified for the Festival by receiving a “Superior” rating at the KS Thespian Festival in January.

International Thespian Festival qualifiers Ashanti Green, Jenna Stockstill, and Mesa Jones. Submitted photo.

 

Green said, “I loved how so many people were able to come together virtually even if we couldn’t be together in person!”

 

Although students missed being able to travel across the country and spend a week with fellow thespians, this year’s festival had unique benefits. All workshops were recorded throughout the week and all attendees will have access to all videos, performances, and interviews with theatre professionals for the next three months.

 

“ITF was great because even though it was online, we still got to do many workshops and listen to many stars talk, which is something that wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t have it online,” Jones said.

 

The festival included more than 2,400 Thespians from many countries. Guest speakers included Tina Fey, Dolly Parton, Stephen Swartz, Andrew Lloyd Webber and many other Tony, Oscar, and Emmy award winners and Broadway stars.

 

COVID-19, Exercise, Fort Scott, Government

Swimming Pool Reopens July 1 With Modifications Due to COVID 19

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The Aquatic Center will resume normal business hours beginning July 1st, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. There will be more restraints and guidelines to follow:

Only 30 people will be allowed in the pool at any given time.

At the top of each hour 30 new patrons will be allowed in the pool and the previous 30 will be asked to leave.

Cash only will be taken due to an issue with the credit card system.

They will take the first 30 people at the beginning of each hour. If patrons leave before their hour time has expired, we will NOT allow the next person in. This is so we can stay on the hourly change of patrons as a whole and allow us to clean all areas at the conclusion of each session.

The fees will remain the same as posted.

These guidelines will be reevaluated on July 8th, 2020 when the Public Health Officer’s order ends.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Please call City Hall at 223-0550 if you have questions.