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Area News, Business

Farmers’ Market Workshop in February

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Regional Farmers’ Market Workshops Scheduled for February

The Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension will host six regional workshops in February 2020 to assist farmers’ market vendors and managers. Kansas farmers’ markets not only provide a fresh food source, but also stimulate the local economy. In 2019, 57 farmers’ markets were registered with KDA’s Central Registration of Farmers’ Markets.

“Farmers’ markets provide growers a wonderful opportunity to have real interaction with consumers, and a chance to tell their farm’s story,” said Londa Nwadike, consumer food safety specialist with K-State Research and Extension and the University of Missouri. “It’s also important for farmers to understand certain legal, safety and financial parameters before choosing to sell at a farmers’ market.”

Workshop topics will vary slightly by location. Main topics include:

  • Double Up Food Bucks Program and Accepting EBT
  • Food Safety and Regulations on Selling Meat, Eggs and Poultry
  • Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Certified Farmer Training
  • Marketing Tips
  • Produce Grower Panel

KDA’s weights and measures program will also offer free scale certification at the workshops for attendees.Dates and locations for the Farmers’ Market events are as follows:

Saturday, Feb. 1 — Iola: Allen Community College

Saturday, Feb. 8 — Wichita: Sedgwick County Extension Office

Friday, Feb. 21 — Olathe: KSU Olathe

Saturday, Feb. 22 — Hiawatha: Fisher Center

Friday, Feb. 28 — Beloit: Beloit First Christian Church

Saturday, Feb. 29 — Leoti: Wichita County Community Building

Registration for the February workshops is now open. The cost is $20 per participant to cover the cost of lunch. Lunch will only be guaranteed to those participants who register prior to the respective workshop date. Registration for the workshops can be found at FromtheLandofKansas.com/FMworkshop or at local extension offices.

Onsite registration for the workshops will open at 8:30 a.m. and the workshops will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 3:00 p.m. The Wichita workshop will begin onsite registration at 8:15 a.m. and the workshop begins at 8:45 a.m., concluding at 4:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Robin Blume, KDA’s education and events coordinator, at 785-564-6756 or [email protected]. The workshops are funded by the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, the Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, K-State Research and Extension, and the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

KDA is committed to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy. The Kansas Ag Growth Strategy has identified training for small companies via workshops as a key growth outcome for the specialty crop sector. The farmers’ market workshops will provide education through partnerships to help make Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses more successful.

Area News

Kansas Whitetail Deer: Record 321 Inches Score

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Kansas Bowhunter Takes World-Class Whitetail

 

WICHITA – Kansas bowhunter, Brian Butcher, 38, harvested a whitetail buck in Chase County last October that he knew was something special. It wasn’t until the buck’s rack was measured by Boone and Crockett Club certified measurers on Friday, Jan. 3 that Butcher confirmed just how special the deer was. Butcher’s whitetail earned an unofficial net non-typical score of 321 3/8 inches. If accepted and verified by the Boone and Crockett Club – an internationally recognized non-profit conservation organization that maintains native North American big game records – the deer Butcher harvested would rank fourth in the world for non-typical whitetail deer. As for the Kansas record books, Butcher’s buck will be the largest non-typical whitetail ever taken, surpassing the current state record for a non-typical whitetail harvested with archery equipment by 57 2/8 inches.

 

“When I first saw it, I thought it had some branches or grass tangled up in its antlers,” said Butcher. “But when I looked at him with binoculars, I realized it was all antlers.”

 

Butcher released his arrow when the giant buck was just 25 yards from his treestand and the shot was true. After waiting only 5-10 minutes, Butcher tracked the deer to a spot 50 yards away.

 

“I had the most opposite feeling of ‘ground shrinkage’ possible,” Butcher said of the big whitetail with 67 scorable points. “I was in complete shock.”

 

After sharing photos of the buck with friend Brian Crowe, the duo got together and attempted to score the deer.

 

“We added it up five times because it didn’t make sense,” Butcher laughed. “We had it at 341 inches gross, and 316 inches net.”

 

According to Boone and Crockett guidelines, the rack could not be officially measured until it had dried for at least 60 days. On January 3, Boone and Crockett measurers Marc Murrell, Newton, and Ken Witt, Burleson, Tex., took on what would become a nearly five-hour-long task of scoring the deer. Murrell and Witt came up with a pending net non-typical score of 321 3/8 inches.

 

The score sheet and entry materials on Butcher’s buck have been mailed to the Boone and Crockett Club headquarters for verification and acceptance. Because of its high ranking, the rack will be scored again by a panel of measurers at the Boone and Crockett Club’s next awards ceremony in 2022.

 

If it stands, Butcher’s buck will rank fourth in the world of non-typical whitetails. Boone and Crockett’s top two non-typical whitetails were found dead in Missouri and Ohio and scored 333 7/8 inches and 328 2/8 inches, respectively.

 

The largest hunter-harvested non-typical whitetail was taken by bowhunter Luke Brewster in Illinois in 2018 and scored 327 7/8 inches.

 

The current Kansas state record firearm non-typical whitetail was taken in 1987 by Joseph Waters in Shawnee County and scored 280 4/8 inches. The current Kansas state record archery non-typical whitetail was shot by Dale Larson in 1998 in Pottawatomie County and scored 264 1/8 inches.

 

For more on Kansas big game records, visit ksoutdoors.com/Hunting/What-to-Hunt.

 

For more on the Boone and Crockett Club, visit www.boone-crockett.org/.

Area News, Government, Kansas

Toland to Speak at Kansas Crossing Casino Jan. 23

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SEK, Inc. will host guest speaker Secretary David Toland of the Kansas Department of Commerce at its annual meeting on January 23rd at the Kansas Crossing Casino south of Pittsburg on US highway 69.

Members and non-members alike are all welcome to join SEK, Inc. as the Kansas Crossing Casino is hosting our annual meeting, dinner and social for the first time since the Casino/hotel was completed in 2017. Cost is $30 for members and $35 for non-members. Activities begin at 5 pm with a social hour followed by dinner at 6 and the Secretary’s remarks and other annual meeting items thereafter.

To register, please call, text or email Executive Director Steve Davis at 620-235-9990, [email protected]. Please register by close of business on Friday, January 17th.

Southeast Kansas, Inc (SEK, Inc.) is a regional alliance of business leaders from a diverse economy. The organization represents manufacturing, retail, and service businesses along with county and city governments from 12 counties in Southeast Kansas.

Area News

American Legion Scuttlebutt

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POST 25 UPDATES:

January 6. Post 25 meet and greet starts at 630 pm in Memorial Hall.

January 6. Post 25 general membership meeting starts at 7 pm in Memorial Hall.

January 9. American Legion Auxiliary Unit 25 meets at 600 pm in Memorial Hall. ( DATE CHANGE)

January 9. American Legion Post 25 Color Guard meets at 730 pm in Memorial Hall. All Post 25 Legion family members can join the Post 25 Color Guard. This includes Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion Squadron members. ( DATE CHANGE)

January 31 – February 2, 2020. Department of Kansas Midwinter Forum at Fort Scott.

The Voice for Today’s Veterans and Military
January 2020
Department Commander
R.C. “Chuck” Shoemaker
Department Adjutant
Jimmie L. Foster
Notes from the Department Commander
Fellow Legionnaires!

This past year saw many activities by posts and districts as the American Legion observed its’ 100th birthday. The Legion Family members joined together in holding celebratory gatherings throughout the state. Many gatherings included local dignitaries from cities and communities who expressed their appreciation to the Legion for our service to veterans and grateful citizens.  Veterans Day activities provided opportunities for inclusion in parades, remembrance ceremonies, visitations to veterans housing facilities, all of which fulfilled our mission and enabled the public to realize the Legion’s contribution to our State.

While it is important for the citizens to be mindful of what we do, as it certainly contributes to membership recruitment, it is also important, and essential, for a record of our activities to be kept and reported.  We do this by informing Congress once a year of what we are doing to support the veterans and our communities.  The information is submitted by each post, using the Consolidated Post Report (CPR), to National and ultimately reported annually to Congress.

National Commander Bill Oxford has set a goal of 100% reporting for Departments.  To ensure accurate reports, each of us must provide posts with our Legion activities that support veterans and provide service to communities.  Any and all valid activity by a member should be included.  In addition, a report without activity will not be used in the final tally for National recognition.  Let’s help the Commander make the goal.

A word about Operation North Pole, and the word is OUTSTANDING!  With the ALR and Roger Beckley, Chairman of the ALR Committee, taking point position, this year’s occasion was truly enjoyable. The volunteers traveled to Fort Riley in Junction City from all over the State.  Seeing all those children of soldiers enjoy visiting Santa (Doug Evans), receiving presents, eating cookies provided by many Legion Family members (how ‘bout that Auxiliary?), was and is worth every minute as everyone agreed.  Thanks to those that attended and to those who provided a photographic record of the fun on Facebook.  Thank you one and all for what you did for the Kansas American Legion in 2019 and what will be done in 2020. Pat and I wish everyone a prosperous and memorable New Year!

For God and Country,

RC “Chuck” Shoemaker
Commander
Department of Kansas
The American Legion
[email protected]
Notes from the Department Vice-Commander and Membership Chairman
The New Year is here, I hope each of you are finding it prosperous thus far.  I would like to take this opportunity to reflect on 2019 and the accomplishments of this great organization.  Our national website publishes a Membership Impact Report each month that keeps us up to date on what is going on in the American Legion across the nation.  You can find these impact reports at https://www.legion.org/membership/impact.  These reports can also serve as a great recruiting tool, whenever a potential member asks what it is that The American Legion does, just bring up a recent copy of the impact report and share it with them.  In case you are wondering what kind of information you can find in these reports and are a little reluctant to look for yourself I will mention a few in an effort to tempt you into checking them out.

In January the American Legion through Temporary Financial Assistance cash grants disbursed $1,030,163.  Most of which were delivered to active-duty junior enlisted members of the U.S. Coast Guard with minor children at home who missed their mid-January paychecks due to the federal government shutdown.

Only counting those helped prior to April 30, 2019 The American Legion Temporary Financial Assistance program assisted 3,163 children.  More than 1,730 military and veteran families received over $1.05 million in emergency help to pay for shelter, utilities, food and clothing.

In April at The American Legion National Oratorical Contest $138,000 in scholarship money was awarded to competitors.  That does not consider the scholarships awarded at the Post, District, or Department levels!

During the four months that this statistic was listed, there were 38 American Legion-supported job fairs and career events.  These are only the ones reported to National to be put on the National website at www.legion.org/careers/jobfairs.  There are likely many more that are not reported to National.

Over 3,000 accredited American Legion service officers around the world provide free veterans benefits counseling and assistance for approximately 750,000 claims at any one time.

Many posts, particularly the smaller ones, but the larger ones are guilty of this too, sometimes feel that what they do isn’t important, they are wrong.  Toot your own horn, brag on yourself, let people know what we do and why.  People want to belong to an organization that makes a difference, you might be surprised at the potential members that ask to join once they know how great of an organization we are.

For God and Country,

Marri Krupco
Department Vice-Commander
The American Legion, Department of Kansas
[email protected]
Department Adjutant’s Newsletter December 2019
GOLD STAR DEADLINE — FEBRUARY 1, 2020: This is the last day to qualify for the Gold Star Club and other awards.  Membership counted for these awards must be received at Headquarters by February 1. Adjutants must report their membership awards to Department Headquarters no later than February 15, 2020.

GO-GETTER AND BIG TEAM AWARDS DEADLINE IS MAY 1, 2020.

MID-WINTER FORUM AT FORT SCOTT: January 31, February 1, 2, 2020. Hotel is the Sleep Inn and Suites, 302 E. Wall St. telephone 620-223-2555 rate is $99.00.  Other hotels are the Rodeway Inn, 101 State Street, telephone 620-223-0100 and the Travel Lodge, 2505 US Highway 69, telephone 620-955-4283. You must identify that you are with the Kansas American Legion to receive the reduced rate. A great program is being planned.  See information in the Sunflower Legionnaire for more details and a schedule.

DUES NOTICES: The January dues notice will be in the mail shortly for all members whose 2020 dues were not received at Department Headquarters by December 10, 2019. Every member who has not paid their dues should be contacted by your membership workers. As of December 20, Kansas still needs 6,146 members to reach its nationally assigned goal. We need more renewal, reinstatement and new members — remember everyone on active duty is eligible for membership.

LEGISLATIVE PARTY: Mark your calendar for January 15, 2020 as the date for the Legion’s annual Legislative Party. Location again this year is the CAPITOL PLAZA HOTEL, 1717 SW TOPEKA BLVD., TOPEKA, KS 66612. Several issues important to Veterans and Veterans Benefits are expected to be brought before the Legislature. Reservations may be sent to Department Headquarters, 1314 SW Topeka Blvd., Topeka, KS 66612.

INCORPORATION: Posts should be incorporated thereby relieving your Post Officers and members of liability incurred by the Post. Simple annual reports are required to maintain incorporated status.  If your Post is already incorporated, you should have received your annual report to be filed with the Kansas Secretary of State.  If your Post is not incorporated and it should be, or you have not received your annual report, contact the Secretary of State’s Office, 1st Floor, 120 W. 10th St., Topeka, KS 66612, phone 785-296-4564.

ORATORICAL CONTEST: Your Post should be promoting this great scholarship program for high school students. Information has been sent to all schools and has been published in the Sunflower Legionnaire. Information is also available online at www.ksamlegion.org/scholarships.htm.

RENEWAL POST CARDS: Department Headquarters has a supply of the 2020 Membership Renewal Post Cards. These post cards can be very effective when sent to delinquent members. Contact Headquarters with the number that you need.

EMPLOYER AWARDS: Information and nominating information for National’s Employer of Veterans Awards and the Award to Enhance the Lives of Disabled Persons is available on our website and by contacting Department Headquarters. These nominations must be received at National by January 15. Headquarters relies on you to submit nominations; the winner may as well be from your community; perhaps your employer or firm. Please consider an employer in your town for this honor.

CHALLENGE: This month each Post is challenged to poll their membership asking what improvements, activities, or programs they would like to see at your Post. This challenge can be accomplished very easily through a simple letter to each member, be sure to ask how they would support their suggestions (either financially, by volunteering their services or time, or all three).  You never know until you ask, and you may increase more members’ involvement which can improve your Post.

AMERICAN LEGION SCHOOL AWARDS:  Looking for a way to establish a good working relationship with your local schools? The American Legion School Award Program provides an excellent means to recognize boys and girls in Elementary, Junior High or Middle School and High School for their courage, honor, leadership, service, scholarship and patriotism at little expense. Students are proud to receive this type of recognition and their schools often welcome the opportunity to include the program in their spring activities.  Awards are available from Emblem Sales and your Post’s membership performance can earn these awards for presentation at no cost to the Post.  Contact your schools now to schedule a presentation.

A REMINDER NOMINATIONS for National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year and National Firefighter of the Year must be received by January 15, 2020 here at Department Headquarters. These awards are presented every year to deserving officers and firefighters at National Convention.  The rules and entry information for the Law Enforcement Officer Award are available at http://www.legion.org/documents/pdf/ns_officeroftheyear.pdf.  Rules and entry information for the Firefighter award are available at http://www.legion.org/documents/pdf/firefighter_award.pdf.

CONGRATULATIONS:  To Robinson, Fairview, Leonardville, Lincolnville, Allen, Wichita #424, Little River, Hoisington, Phillipsburg and Agra for making QUOTA. (As of December 26)

DISTRICT STANDINGS AS OF DECEMBER 20, 2019:  District IX, 932 – 83.14%; District I, 3,506 – 82.03%; District IV, 2,662 – 80.23%; District VI, 1,238 – 79.72%; District II, 3,125 – 79.42%; District V, 2,554 – 79.10%; District VII, 1,427 – 78.93%; District III, 1,790 – 75.72 and District VIII, 743 – 75.43%.  Department Headquarters Post 58 (included in Dept. total) is 818.  Total membership is 18.795.  Membership last year this date was 19,581.  We are BEHIND 796 members.

IN ORDER TO AVOID RECEIVING THE NEXT RENEWAL NOTICE ALL PAID MEMBERS’ CARDS MUST BE IN THIS OFFICE BY FEBRUARY 10, 2020.
Upcoming Events

January 15, 2020


January 31 – February 2, 2020

 

Area News

Young Adult Summit April 2

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SAVE THE DATE!  Southeast KANSASWORKS will be holding their 4th annual Young Adult Summit in Pittsburg, Kansas on Thursday, April 2nd.  This event includes a presentation from Bill Cordes, breakout sessions including Future Now Finance, soft skills and interview tips and an opportunity to talk to employers during the statewide job fair which starts at 3:00 that day.  Mark your calendars and spread the word about this exciting, educational event!

 

Please share the Summit date with any youth between the ages of 16 and 24, in school or out of school.  Both graduates and those needing a diploma are encouraged to attend this FREE event.

 

More details to come next month including schedule and registration instructions.

Area News, Bourbon County, Business, Jobs, Schools

Jayhawk Wind Farm Impact Analysis Dec. 2019

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Study Quantifies Economic Opportunity for Bourbon and Crawford Counties if Jayhawk Wind Farm Is Constructed

According to a new economic impact analysis, Bourbon and Crawford Counties will gain an estimated $27.2 million total in new revenues over the first 25 years of the Jayhawk Wind project, if it is constructed.

Apex Clean Energy, the company developing Jayhawk Wind, estimates that, if built, about 80% of the project’s turbines will be located in Bourbon County, generating $11.4 million in new revenues for that jurisdiction. Crawford County would host the remaining 20% and receive $3.9 million.

Moreover, the project is expected to create about 318 jobs in the Bourbon County and Crawford County region, generating about $15.7 million in new earnings for local workers during construction.

For the complete analysis, click here:

Jayhawk Wind – Economic Development Report Final November 2019(1)

Once the project is operational, it will create as many as 30 new, long-term local jobs. These new long-term jobs will result in earnings of about $1.2 million annually, once the wind farm is operational.

About seven of these jobs will be direct hires of the wind farm, while the remaining jobs will be generated by local businesses that grow as a result of Jayhawk Wind’s operation.

New tax revenues from the project will also benefit local education.

Beginning in 2032 and through 2046:

• Uniontown Unified School District (USD) 235 will receive over $387,000 annually, totaling $5.8 million;
• Girard USD 248 will receive $203,000 annually, totaling over $3 million;
• Erie USD 101 will receive $38,000 annually, totaling over $572,000; and
• Fort Scott Community College will receive $256,000 annually, totaling over $3.8 million.

Existing local businesses will win too. The $250 million investment that Jayhawk Wind represents will benefit a wide array of area businesses, including hotels, restaurants, professional service firms, and construction supply companies.

Bourbon and Crawford Counties alone will see over $36.2 million in new economic output during construction.

“Wind farms create numerous economic benefits that continue to last for decades,” said Dr. David Loomis, Illinois State University professor of economics and co-founder of the Center for Renewable Energy, who conducted the analysis.

The U.S. wind industry has grown at a rapid pace since 2006, due in part to new, efficient technologies and demand by corporate buyers increasing demand for wind energy.

Starbucks, Wal-Mart, and General Motors are among the corporations purchasing wind energy produced
from Illinois wind farms.

“Demand for wind energy continues to grow due to low, long-term, stable pricing, which protects against future price volatility,” said Dr. Loomis. “In recent years, investment in wind energy
development has only been slowed by uncertain government policies.”

“Apex Clean Energy is proud to be a part of an industry bringing economic opportunity to rural America, which has not always benefited equally from our nation’s recent economic growth,”
said Jade Scheele, Apex Clean Energy senior development manager.

A copy of the Jayhawk Economic Impact Analysis can be found at www.jayhawkwind.com.

Dr. David G. Loomis is professor of economics at Illinois State University and co-founder of the Center for Renewable Energy. He has over 10 years of experience in the renewable energy field and has performed economic analyses at the county, region, state, and national levels for utility-scale wind and solar generation. Dr. Loomis is a widely recognized expert and has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes magazine, the Associated Press, and the Chicago
Tribune and has appeared on CNN. Dr. Loomis has published over 25 peer-reviewed articles in leading energy policy and economics journals. Dr. Loomis received his PhD in economics from
Temple University in 1995.

###
About Apex Clean Energy
Apex Clean Energy develops, constructs, and operates utility-scale wind and solar power facilities across North America. Our mission-driven team of more than 200 renewable energy experts uses a data-focused approach and an unrivaled portfolio of projects to create solutions for the world’s most innovative and forward-thinking customers.

For more information on how Apex is leading the transition to a clean energy future, visit apexcleanenergy.com.

Area News, Business, Government, K-State Extension, Kansas

Regional Farmers’ Market Workshop Scheduled for February In Iola

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MANHATTAN, Kan. —  The Kansas Department of Agriculture and K-State Research and Extension will host six regional workshops in February 2020 to assist farmers’ market vendors and managers. Kansas farmers’ markets not only provide a fresh food source, but also stimulate the local economy. In 2019, 57 farmers’ markets were registered with KDA’s Central Registration of Farmers’ Markets.

“Farmers’ markets provide growers a wonderful opportunity to have real interaction with consumers, and a chance to tell their farm’s story,” said Londa Nwadike, consumer food safety specialist with K-State Research and Extension and the University of Missouri. “It’s also important for farmers to understand certain legal, safety and financial parameters before choosing to sell at a farmers’ market.”

 

Workshop topics will vary slightly by location. Main topics include:

  • Double Up Food Bucks Program and Accepting EBT
  • Food Safety and Regulations on Selling Meat, Eggs and Poultry
  • Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program Certified Farmer Training
  • Marketing Tips
  • Produce Grower Panel

 

KDA’s weights and measures program will also offer free scale certification at the workshops for attendees.

 

Dates and locations for the Farmers’ Market events are as follows:

Saturday, Feb. 1 — Iola: Allen Community College

Saturday, Feb. 8 — Wichita: Sedgwick County Extension Office

Friday, Feb. 21 — Olathe: KSU Olathe

Saturday, Feb. 22 — Hiawatha: Fisher Center

Friday, Feb. 28 — Beloit: Beloit First Christian Church

Saturday, Feb. 29 — Leoti: Wichita County Community Building

 

Registration for the February workshops is now open. The cost is $20 per participant to cover the cost of lunch. Lunch will only be guaranteed to those participants who register prior to the respective workshop date. Registration for the workshops can be found at FromtheLandofKansas.com/FMworkshop or at local extension offices.

Onsite registration for the workshops will open at 8:30 a.m. and the workshops will begin at 9:00 a.m. and conclude by 3:00 p.m. The Wichita workshop will begin onsite registration at 8:15 a.m. and the workshop begins at 8:45 a.m., concluding at 4:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Robin Blume, KDA’s education and events coordinator, at 785-564-6756 or [email protected]. The workshops are funded by the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops, the Kansas Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, and the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

 

KDA is committed to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth of the agriculture industry and the Kansas economy. The Kansas Ag Growth Strategy has identified training for small companies via workshops as a key growth outcome for the specialty crop sector. The farmers’ market workshops will provide education through partnerships to help make Kansas farmers, ranchers and agribusinesses more successful.

 
Area News, Ascension Via Christi, Business, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Fort Scott, Health Care

CHCSEK Health Care Update From Krista Postai

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Krista Postai

Since taking over operations of the medical clinic from Mercy Hospital earlier this year, the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas has been working to add more doctors’ services.

Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, 403 Woodland Hills Blvd.

Added Doctors

The following doctors have recently been added or added more days available in the Fort Scott clinic.

Dr. Alicia Pino, D. O. is a board-certified pediatrician and holds medical privileges from Ascension Via Christi Hospital, Pittsburg.

 

Dr. Holly Gault, M.D. is a board-certified family physician with obstetrics and has medical privileges at Ascension Via Christi Hospital, Pittsburg.

 

“They aren’t really new,” Krista Postai, CEO and president of CHCSEK said of the two doctors. “Dr. Gault, a family physician, has been with us for more than three years in Pittsburg and lives near Arcadia so is actually closer to Ft. Scott. She has been seeing patients there one day a week and is increasing to two.”

 

“Dr. Pino joined us this summer; she is a board-certified pediatrician and is currently seeing patients one day a week in Fort Scott. She also sees newborns at Via Christi Ascension and patients in Pittsburg three days a week.”

 

“We thought it would be more convenient for those Bourbon County women delivering in Pittsburg to have both these doctors more available for follow up visits,” she said.

 

Dr.  Grant Hartman, a Fort Scott Chiropractor officially joins CHCSEK this month and, beginning in January, will provide chiropractic services at their clinics in both Pittsburg and Fort Scott, Postai said.

 

Dr. Bashar Marji is the latest addition of specialists added, Postai said. Marji is a cardiology specialist who will come to Fort Scott one Friday each month.

 

The following are the specialists currently in Fort Scott, with their frequency:

  • Cardiology – Dr. Markham (HCA) – the first, third and fourth Thursday of each month;
  • Urology – Dr. Tawil – every Thursday;
  • Orthopedics – Greg King, APRN (Freeman) – every Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday;
  • Surgery – Dr. Hall (Allen County Regional Hospital) – Thursday afternoons, Friday all-day of every week;
  • Cardiology – Renae Bateman, APRN (Mercy) – every Monday;
  • Cardiovascular Surgery – the combination of Dr. Meyer/Dr. Brown/Pam Darnell, APRN/Amanda Lumpkins, APRN/Paige Palmer, APRN (all Mercy) – First and Third Friday of every month;
  • Cardiology – Dr. Marji – one Friday each month

 

New Clinic Building In Process

CHC/SEK will be building a facility on Horton, just west of the former Mercy Hospital building.

 

The move to build a new clinic on the Horton Street side of the former Mercy Hospital in on-going, Postai said.

 

Currently, CHCSEK is finalizing the donation of land from Mercy Hospital, she said. Additionally, they are working on the design of the new building.

 

“We are looking at eight acres including the helipad,” Postai said.  “We expect to have that done very shortly and are looking at a groundbreaking in the spring.”

 

 

Area News

Pittsburg Youth Chorale Spring Enrollment Open

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Area singers in 4th, 5th, and 6th grade are invited to join Pittsburg Youth Chorale, directed by MJ Harper.

The purpose of this vocal ensemble is to further grow vocal abilities, musical knowledge, and choral repertoire.

Performers will prepare music for community events and music festivals.

Rehearsals are Tuesdays from 5PM-6PM at First United Methodist Church, 415 N. Pine, Pittsburg, KS and
begin January 14th.

There is a fee of $25 per session (Sept-Dec/Jan-May) to cover the cost of music.

Scholarships are available.

To enroll, contact MJ Harper at 620-719-6633 or email [email protected],
deadline is  January 14th.

Area News

Evergy Participates in Utility Scam Awareness Week 

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Nov. 19, 2019 – Evergy is standing with more than 100 utility companies throughout North America this week in support of the fourth annual Utility Scam Awareness Week. Utilities United Against Scams (UUAS) promotes this week each year to educate consumers and small business owners about the tactics scammers use to attack consumers.

 

“Evergy is uniting in this effort to ensure our customers know the signs of a scam and avoid being duped by con artists,” said Jeff Beasley, Evergy vice president, customer operations. “We want to help keep people from falling prey to any malicious fraud schemes regarding utilities.”

 

Evergy offers these safety tips for customers:

  • Verify the person you’re engaging is with Evergy by asking to see company identification or by calling the Customer Contact Center before giving credit card, debit card, Social Security, ATM, checking or savings account numbers to anyone who comes to your home, calls, text and/or sends an email requesting this information about your utility bill. If you can’t verify that you’re speaking with an Evergy employee, do not give them this information.
  • Be suspicious if you receive an email about your utility bill if you have not requested online communications from Evergy.
  • For customers using Evergy’s online bill pay system, always make online payments directly through evergy.com.
  • Never provide personal information via email or click any suspicious links.

Signs of a potential scam include:

  • Threat to disconnect: Scammers may aggressively tell the customer his or her utility bill is past due and service will be disconnected – usually within an hour – if a payment is not made.
  • Request for immediate payment: Scammers may instruct the customer to buy a prepaid card – widely available at retail stores – then call them back supposedly to make a bill payment.
  • Request for prepaid card: When the customer calls back, the caller asks the customer for the prepaid card’s number, which grants the scammer instant access to the card’s funds, and the victim’s money is gone.

The phone scammer is often a live person posing as an Evergy employee who notifies the customer of a past due bill and demands immediate payment to avoid service disconnection. Scammers also can manipulate the caller ID to look like the company phone number. In some instances, the caller requests that the customer purchase a money gram to pay their bill.

 

If the customer is unable to make an immediate payment or does not answer, the caller gives out a return phone number unassociated with Evergy or the utility for customers to call back. When calling, customers are often prompted by a convincing, but fraudulent recording with instructions to make to make their payment with a live person. This phone number is not associated with Evergy.

 

Due to valued customer reports, Evergy has worked in conjunction with UUAS to quickly shutdown many of these fraudulent numbers and derail scams. In such cases, it is extremely valuable for the reporting customer to obtain and provide the scammer’s requested callback number.

 

UUAS is dedicated to combating utility scams by providing a forum for utilities and trade associations to share data and best practices, in addition to working together to implement initiatives to inform and protect customers.

 

If you have questions about the legitimacy of a bill, phone call or email regarding a utility bill, do not provide your personal or banking information to anyone. Contact the Evergy Customer Contact Center at the number located on your bill or at evergy.com.

 

If you feel you have been a victim of a scam, please work with your local law enforcement agency to report the crime. For more information, visit Evergy Utility Scams. Evergy will share more tips about protecting yourself against scammers on our social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter) as well this week.

Area News

New Bike Routes

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New signs will highlight U.S. Bicycle

Routes 76, 66 across Kansas

 

Highway signs that will help show the way for U.S. Bicycle Routes (USBR) 76 and 66 throughout Kansas were unveiled today at an event along Historic Route 66 in Riverton as part of the sign initiative currently underway.

 

“Signage is beneficial because it provides wayfinding for cyclists and it alerts motorists to diligently be aware of and respectful to cyclists sharing the road,” said Kansas Department of Transportation Planning and Development Director Chris Herrick. Other speakers included Bourbon County Economic Development Director Jody Hoener, Cherokee County Sheriff Groves and Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Patrick Tuttle.

 

More than 900 new road/highway signs will be placed across Kansas marking the two bicycle routes. These routes in Kansas were approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO), as a result of collaborative efforts between KDOT and the Adventure Cycling Association (ACA), beginning in 2015. The USBR system connects bicycle routes across the country for safer, long-distance cycling.

 

USBR 76 is also known as the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail. It extends more than 480 miles and runs from Greely County on the Colorado border to Crawford County on the Missouri border. The Kansas stretch of USBR 66 is 13 miles long and runs through the southeast corner of the state.

 

“Thousands of cyclists ride these routes through Kansas every year offering great tourist opportunities for the over 30 communities they pass through, especially rural towns,” said KDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Jenny Kramer. “Many towns take advantage of this opportunity for economic growth and development by making their towns more bicycle-friendly and creating attractive resting and overnight spots for travelers.”

 

Sign installation will begin in spring 2020 and should all be placed by June. KDOT has developed signing plans to assist with installation along the state and local systems. In addition, KDOT plans to release the 2020-21 Kansas Bicycle Map by next summer.

 

For more information on KDOT’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Program and resources on cycling in Kansas, go to: https://www.ksdot.org/burRail/bike/default.asp.