Dalton Womeldorff sits in the studio of Fort Scott Broadcasting. He is an announcer at the radio station and a recent graduate of Fort Scott High School.
Red Dirt Country is in Fort Scott as of July 1 at 98.3 FM on your radio.
The Red Dirt genre of country music started in Oklahoma and Texas.
“Red Dirt Country is a different brand of country,” Tim McKenney, owner of Fort Scott Broadcasting said. “Most tell a story…songs that tell stories about the cowboy’s way of life.”
Fort Scott Broadcasting, owned by both Tim and Deb McKenney, is the umbrella company for KMDO-AM 1600 and KOMB-FM 103.9 and now K252KY-FM 98.3.
KMDO started in 1954 and KOMB in1981 and continue to play classic and contemporary music. They were purchased by Tim and Deb in 1996 from Tim’s father.
Red Dirt Country, K252KY-FM started this year.
Fort Scott Broadcasting is the parent company of KMDO-AM and KOMB-FM and is located at 2 N. National Avenue. The parent company of the businesses are Fort Scott Broadcasting, owned by Tim and Deb McKenney. They also own U.S. Cellular at 1711 S. National and 2506 S. Santa Fe in Chanute.
“On July 1 we opened K252KY,” McKenney said. “It started broadcasting a few months ago. We wanted to run it a while to make sure it was going smoothly.”
“We wanted to compete with those (radio stations) that do country, in a different way,” he said.
“It’s been crazy, for signing on quietly,” McKenney said.
KMDO-AM and KOMB-FM Radio Stations are located at 2 N. National Avenue, Fort Scott. New in July 2019 is the addition of Red Dirt Country at K252KY-FM, 98.3
The broadcasting company plays music 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
There are several announcers who work for the company: Larry Gazaway, Brandon Tadtman, Dalton Womeldorff, Pam Hutchison, Charlene Bolinger, Brayden Enstrom, Dena Wade “and a few more of us do some on-air, but not regularly,” McKenney said.
“We still have announcers, it is not automated by satellite,” McKenney said.
In August, Larry Gazaway returns to the radio station as “the morning man on 103.9 and he will be our sports broadcaster,” McKenney said. Gazaway did a stint as Fort Scott’s Director of Convention and Visitor Bureau recently and returns to broadcasting on August 5.
For more information about the business and to see what services they provide, click below
The new Bourbon County Business Incubator offices are located in the old SRS Building at 108 W. Second Street, Fort Scott.
A business incubator is being developed by Bourbon County to attract new entrepreneurs and professionals back to the area.
What is a business incubator?
It is a facility established to nurture young, startup firms during their early months or years, according to businessdictionary.com. It can provide affordable space, shared offices and services, hands-on management training, marketing support and, often, access to some form of financing.
“The business incubator is still under development,” Bourbon County’s Economic Director Jody Hoenor, said. “But is available… it’s a county-wide service.”
“The vision is to have a workspace for a professional business, someone who needs office space,” she said. “The first six months are free, then rent is negotiable. The maximum stay is two years.”
“The point is to get their business up and going without initial opening costs,” she said
Skilled professionals such as web designers, architects, and lawyers. for example, who want to start a business, are the target for the incubator.
Retail would not be appropriate for the space, she said.
“Shane Walker (Bourbon County Information Technology) and Justin Meeks (Bourbon County Counselor) have been working on this before I started in October 2018,” Hoenor said.
There are six office spaces available, one with a reception area attached.
The largest of the offices shown by Bourbon County Economic Director Jody Hoenor is 11 feet by 23 feet. The other offices are smaller, but each has a window.
There is a lobby, conference room, kitchen space and bathroom that goes with the office spaces, and includes high-speed internet access.
Bourbon County Economic Director Jody Hoenor opens the door to the reception area, next to the largest office space available for skilled professionals to start up a business.
Bourbon County repurposed the building at 108 W. Second Street, just west of the courthouse. Years ago it housed the Social and Rehabilitation Services offices, most recently the Bourbon County Attorney had an office there until that office was moved to the second floor of the courthouse.
Currently, the building is being used also by the community corrections office and the driver’s license bureau.
Darlene’s Antiques and Collectables, 16 Scott Avenue is liquidating all the contents of the store.
A long-time Fort Scott business is liquidating its assets.
Darlene’s antiques and Collectibles is having the third round of an online-only auction.
If one is looking for furniture and other items to fill a home, vacation home or rental property with some quality items, take time to look at all that is offered and make an online bid.
Online Bidding ends Sunday, July 21, 7:00 PM.
Visit www.crawfordauctionservice.com click on Ozarkbid Online Auctions, scroll to Darlene’s Antique and Collectibles 3 to view and register to bid. The store was owned by Darlene and Jim Shoemaker.
“We welcome you to the third round of Darlene’s Antiques and Collectibles,” Jim Shoemaker said. ” We hope that you’ll browse our catalog and see the very nice 383 lot line up of some of the most beautiful and well-cared for antique pieces including glassware, furniture, primitives, advertising pieces, and much, much more!”
In the listing this round are:
Vintage tobacco tins; Windsor Cutlery Co. Knife w/hoof handle; vint. military knife; Vint. Maytag oil cans; wood Coke, Pepsi & fruit crates; framed art & decor; framed Remington & Western Winchester ads; Table linens; oil lamps; lanterns; die-cast toys; stoneware jugs; old radios; Cram can; 100s of radio/ audio tubes; tables & chairs; enamel top table; hutches & cabinets; baking & kitchen cabinets/cupboards; corner cabinets; ant. dresser & wardrobe; nesting boxes; records, 33 & 78s; W.L. Davey hand pump; Ant. Rainbo Bread screen door, 32”x96”; Windsor organ; ant. wood doors; iron bell; Dazey churn; crosscut saws; washtubs; cradle; and much more.
Watch for more upcoming auctions.
Item pick up is in Fort Scott, Kansas on Monday, July 22, from 9 am to 6 pm. Item pick up in Hermitage, MO WareHouse Monday, July 29 from 9 am to 6 pm.
The following photos are of some of the items.
To see the whole lot, visit www.crawfordauctionservice.com click on Ozarkbid Online Auctions, scroll to Darlene’s Antique and Collectibles 3 to view and register to bid.
Larned State Hospital to Host Annual Mental Health Conference in August
LARNED – Larned State Hospital (LSH) will host “Frontiers in Mental Health,” its 16th annual mental health conference August 5-8, 2019, in the State Theatre, 617 Broadway, Larned, KS, Superintendent Lesia Dipman announced today. The conference will kick off August 5 with a 5K run at 5:30 p.m. on the LSH campus. Medals will be awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in five age divisions.
“This annual conference has become one of the premier behavioral health events in Kansas. We conduct this conference annually to aid the professional development of those working in the fields of psychology, psychiatry, nursing, social work and corrections, but it is open to anyone with an interest in mental health,” Superintendent Dipman said.
Rich in history, LSH is the largest psychiatric facility in the state serving the western two-thirds of Kansas with more than 990 staff and the capacity to treat more than 450 patients. The hospital is accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC) and certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS) is responsible for administrative oversight of the hospital.
“Larned State Hospital has again put together an exceptional lineup of speakers and important topics to enrich the knowledge and treatment skills of attendees and help them better care for the people we serve,” KDADS Secretary Laura Howard said.
“Palliative Care: Core Principles and Practical Applications”
Featured speakers at the 2019 conference will be:
Dr. David Barnum, Ph.D.
Dr. Barnum, Diplomate of the National Board of Certified Clinical Hypnotherapists, completed his doctoral training in clinical psychology with a specialization in health psychology at The University of Kansas. After his internship at Temple University Health Sciences, he began a 20-year career in community mental health, with particular emphasis in establishing and expanding clinical training programs as a means for developing professional staff in rural and under-served areas.
Currently, he is the Clinical Director and Director of Clinical Training at Larned State Hospital as well as a co-owner of The Family Therapy Institute Midwest. He has served as an adjunct professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, University of Kansas and Benedictine College. Dr. Barnum has been an ambassador for the National Health Service Corps, is a past-president of the Kansas Psychological Association and served on the Continuing Education Committee of the American Psychological Association. He is a frequent presenter at local, national and international conferences on topics including diagnosis, ethics, risk management, clinical training and supervision, family psychology, autism spectrum disorders, treating family injustice, elements of effective psychological treatment and Ericksonian approaches to treatment, among others. He has published work in the treatment of children affected by abuse and foster care health psychology. He is currently co-chair of the Hospital Ethics Committee at Larned State Hospital.
Teresa Strausz Teresa Strausz is passionate about the human experience in organizations and learning. She has been supporting staff, students and adult learners throughout her career by providing education, supervision, training and dynamic learning opportunities in a variety of formats.
Teresa earned a Master’s degree in Social Work in 1996 from the University of Kansas and a Master’s degree in Organization Development in 2012 from Friends University. Teresa serves as a founding member of the Trauma-Informed Systems of Care team, social work field instructor, leadership coach, facilitator and consultant.
Leo Hermann, Ph.D. Dr. Leo Herrman received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology and a Master’s of Science degree in Clinical Psychology from FHSU. He completed his Doctorate of Philosophy in Developmental and Child Psychology at the University of Kansas. He currently is the Associate Professor/Director of Psychological Screening Clinic at FHSU. He has an extensive background in administration and clinical supervision having served as Administrative Program Director for Kansas’ Violent Sexual Predator Treatment Program, Superintendent of Larned Juvenile Correctional Facility, Program Director and Acting Superintendent of the Youth Center at Topeka as well a chief psychologist there. His clinical experience includes work as a psychologist sex offender treatment programs, youth centers, substance abuse treatment programs and mental health centers.
He is a licensed clinical psychotherapist and a certified substance abuse counselor. His teaching experience includes Fort Hays State University and the Kansas Juvenile Justice Authorities’ Training Academy.
Dr. Herrman has written many articles and is known for his scholarly presentations to professional organizations. His research interest lies in the area of forensic psychology and suicide prevention programing, particularly in youth.
Brooke Mann, M.S. Brooke Mann is a lecturer and the Director of the Clinical Psychology Graduate Program at Fort Hays State University (FHSU). She earned her B.S. in Psychology and M.S. in Clinical Psychology from FHSU and is finishing her Ph.D. in Educational Psychology at Texas A&M University – Commerce. Her experiences include psychotherapy in in-patient and out-patient facilities, psychometric assessment, coordinating graduate clinical practice, supervising graduate students, and community outreach. Her current research interests are in reducing stigma of mental illness, and diagnosis assessment of ADHD.
Karin Porter-Williamson, M.D.
Dr. Porter-Williamson is an Associate Professor and Division Director of Palliative Medicine in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She is also the Medical Director for Palliative Care Services at the University of Kansas Health System and is the Medical Director for the KS-MO TPOPP Coalition. Dr. Porter-Williamson grew up in Topeka, Kan., attended Washburn Rural High School, then KU for her undergraduate degree in Biology, French and Psychology. She completed medical school and an internal medicine residency training at the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2002, and then completed fellowship training in Hospice and Palliative medicine in 2003 at San Diego Hospice. After training she returned to the University of Kansas and has been on faculty there for the past 16 years.
Dr. Porter-Williamson’s academic interests include building systems for patient-centered, goal concordant plans of care, to improve the value of medical care for patients and families facing serious illness, and to integrate the principles of palliative medicine as the standard of care for all seriously ill patients and families. Dr. Porter-Williamson’s educational focus is on the training of medical professionals and inter-professional teams across the continuum of care to understand these principles and integrate them into their practice, with specific attention to communication skills necessary for goals of care discussions and serious illness care planning.
Herschel George, K-State Southeast Kansas Watershed Specialist, shows how a water tank that he helped build on Doug Eden’s farm, works and functions to colleagues on June 25. From left: Will Boyer, Dan Devlin, Amanda Schlelky ( a research assistant) George, Doug Eden and Jeff Davidson.
Herschel George started as a Kansas State University Extension Agent in February 1970, just after graduating from the university.
Through the years he worked in various counties as an agent, then became a specialist in watersheds.
A watershed consists of surface water-lakes, streams, reservoirs and wetlands, and all the underlying groundwater, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
George was a 4-H Extension Agent in Marion County, moved to be the agricultural agent in Miami County from 1972 until 2003 when he became a watershed specialist.
George continued in that role but moved to Uniontown, his home town in 2007.
His last day in the watershed specialist role was June 30, 2019.
As a watershed specialist for Southeast Kansas, he worked to encourage farmers and ranchers to install alternative water supplies for livestock and also encouraged the farmers/ranchers to participate in watershed restorative and protection strategies.
“That was the best part of the job,” George said. “Relationships I could build with producers (farmers/ranchers). Another good thing about the job was the continuing education and professional development through the K-State Extension system.”
“I would use county fairs and field days and the 4-State Farm Show as places where I might present or demonstrate alternative livestock practices,” George said. “I often did demonstrations of solar (water) pumps or tire tank installations, to create interest.”
Additionally, he worked with local Watershed Restorative and Protective Strategy organizations as a technical service provider.
Another role George had was to provide technical assistance to livestock operators who may be out of compliance with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment policies, he said.
The purpose of his job was to reduce the nitrogen and phosphorus content of runoff from livestock areas.
“Keeping the poop on the grass, not in the ponds,” George said.
In 2008 and 2009 he traveled with K-State’s Kansas Center for Agriculture Resources and the Environment (KCARE) to Africa where he demonstrated drip irrigation systems in community and private gardens.
On June 25-26, George invited co-workers to tour the types of projects that producers in this area installed to improve water quality, just before his retirement June 30.
It’s been a good 49 plus years, according to George.
“I’ve had nothing but very good supervisors throughout,” he said. “County extension board members to K-State Administration.”
“And I’ve had a good, supporting wife,” George said.
Following his retirement, George will continue to work with K-State and KDHE on special projects and activities across the state, as a consultant, he said.
In his retirement, George said he “might travel to see our daughter and help my brothers in farming as needed.”
George is a 1965 graduate of Uniontown High School, attended Fort Scott Community College, then transferred to Kansas State University, where he graduated in the fall of 1969 with a bachelors degree in agricultural education. In 1981 he earned a masters degree in agriculture mechanization from K-State.
He is involved in the Uniontown community through Uniontown Baptist Church and the Old Settler’s Picnic Association.
Colleagues from Kansas State University toured area farms where George has helped improve water quality in his tenure as Watershed Specialist for Southeast Kansas. From left: Ron Graber, watershed specialist; Pat Murphy, extension agriculture engineer, emeritus; Dan Devlin, watershed specialist; Will Boyer, watershed specialist; Sue Brown, Kansas Center for Ag. Resources and the Environment Assistant; Doug Eden, owner of the property; Connor Minson son of watershed specialist Stacie Minson; Stacie Minson; Jeff Davison, watershed specialist, and George.Looking at a former pond on Doug Eden’s farm, which was converted back to pastureland and replaced with a tire tank waterer that George helped install. From left: George, Dan Devlin, and Doug Eden.Herschel George, K-State Watershed Specialist for Southeast Kansas, finds some shade to check in on a cell phone in 2018 at the Bourbon County Fair. Fairs and farm shows were where George raised public awareness about alternative water supplies, including pumping livestock water.
Second Week of Trailblazer Program Announced at Fort Scott NHS this Summer!
FORT SCOTT, Kansas: Due to the popularity of Fort Scott National Historic Site’s Trailblazer Program, we are pleased to announce that the program will be repeated for a second week from August 12-16, 2019. It will begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 12:00 p.m. each day. The workshop will be the same as the one held the previous week, except that 12 additional children will be able to participate in the program.
Registration is underway. To sign-up, contact Fort Scott National Historic Site at (620) 223-0310 or email [email protected] with your name and phone number. Participants must be between ages 9-12 as of the beginning day of camp. Participants will be sent an informational packet after registration is complete. There is no charge for the day camp. Since space is limited to 12 participants, priority will be given to youth who have not attended before.
During this workshop, children will be introduced to the National Park Service mission of caring for the Nation’s natural and cultural heritage. They will search for treasure in a mock archaeological dig, explore the prairie, and discover methods used to preserve the buildings and artifacts of the fort. The students will engage in living history, be fielded in flag protocol, and will work on a play that they will present at the end of the week. Also, there will be green activities that will teach children how to use our resources wisely.
Fort Scott National Historic Site is a fee free park that offers a glimpse into the growth of our nation. A walk through the fort reveals the significant role it played in the opening of the West, as well as, the Civil War and the strife in the State of Kansas that preceded it. For more information about Fort Scott National Historic Site, please call the park at 620-223-0310, visit us at www.nps.gov/fosc, on Facebook www.facebook.com/FortScottNPS, Twitter www.twitter.com/FortScottNPS, and Instagram www.instagram.com/fortscottnps
The Fort Scott community is invited to experience “We Are Monsters” at 6 pm and 8 pm this evening at Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium and Convention Center.
“I am the music director of this 2-week summer theater camp and we have several Fort Scott kidlets performing, including Abel Chaplin, Mila Newman, Chrislen Newman, Analeise Rupprecht, and Emma Bin,” Mary Jo Harper, said. “Our kids are rocking it!”
“Each summer for many years, PCT has supported Jr. Starz, an intensive, two-week children’s theatre workshop that culminates in a free performance for the community,” according to the Pittsburg Community Theatre Facebook page.
The workshop dates were June 10-21 and the show date: June 21
Session 1 – 8 a.m. to noon (show is June 21 at 6 p.m.)
Session 2 – 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. (show is June 21 at 8 p.m.)
K-State weather specialists say wet pattern will persist
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Rainfall patterns that turned lawns and farm fields into unintended ponds and swelled rivers to capacity and beyond are likely to continue into June, according to weather specialists at Kansas State University.
“The persistent pattern has consisted of back and forth movement of a stationary front across the central Plains. This front is separating cold with below-normal temperatures to the north and west and above-normal temperatures to the south and east,” said Chip Redmond, manager of Kansas Mesonet, a system of weather stations across the state that detect and record weather data. “Where the front sets up daily will be the focus for the heaviest flooding rains.”
Because of already saturated soils, Redmond and his colleague, assistant climatologist Mary Knapp, do not expect flooding issues to end in Kansas anytime soon.
“It is almost a guarantee that water control issues will continue into June, if not worsen,” Redmond said. Areas in the central and eastern part of the state have been hit particularly hard.
Springtime temperatures have also been below normal, said Knapp, who added that it’s a trend likely to continue. That will also be a factor in how quickly the soil can dry out.
Beyond June, Knapp and Redmond expect temperatures to warm seasonably but noted that soil surface moisture may increase evaporation/transpiration rates, injecting moisture into the atmosphere. That in turn may result in above average shower and thunderstorm activity.
With ponds and lakes already near or at capacity in some areas, even without more moisture, it is likely to take months before flows return to normal, Knapp said.
“Every rainfall we get in the process will push back that return, possibly substantially,” she said.
More information is available on the Kansas Mesonet website, Office of the State Climatologist website, and in the latest K-State Agronomy eUpdate weekly newsletter.
On May 26, 2019 at 3:49 a.m. George Young #105961 was declared an escape from the Wichita Work Release Facility. Young has been at Wichita Work Release since March 13, 2019. The facility houses 250 minimum-custody male offenders.
Young is a black male, 6’0, 200 lbs. with black hair. He is 51 years old and was currently serving time at Wichita Work Release Facility as a Parole Violator with a new sentence from Sedgwick County, Kansas. Young’s most recent criminal conviction was in 2018 for Theft.
Anyone with information on George Young can call the Kansas Department of Corrections at 620-221-6660 ext: 56218, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-572-7463, or local law enforcement (911).
At the recently concluded Department of Kansas Convention this last weekend, Post 25 received five awards.
Submitted by Carl Jowers
Post 25 received the Kenneth L Young Membership Award for having the highest membership percentage in the Department of Kansas by February 1, 2019. Our percentage at that date was 131.37. We currently stand at 157% as of last Friday.
Another award that Post 25 received was the Team 100 Post Excellence Award. Only two Kansas Posts received this award signed by National Legion Commander Brett Reistad. This award is for Posts that have taken the time to conduct programs in their local community that displays their “Devotion to Mutual Helpfulness.” This is the second year in a row that Thompson-Harkey Post 25 has received this award.
I received the Post Commander of the Year Award as Post 25 had the highest membership percentage in the state plus, thanks to Adjutant Ken Lyon, all required paperwork was submitted to Department by the due date.
We also received the 100% Post Reporting Award for submitting all required reports by the due date. This award was made possible by Adjutant Ken Lyon diligently staying on top of required reports and their due dates.
Another award was in recognition for the chartering of Sons of the American Legion Squadron 25.
When I came up to the dais to accept the Membership Award, the Department Commander stated to the members in attendance that just a few years ago Fort Scott had been written off as a Post on the verge of extinction, but has made a tremendous comeback. All Post 25 members should know that had it not been for Ken Lyon, Post 25 would have turned in its charter a few years back. Ken found a member, Arnold Schofield, to step up as Post Commander and keep the Post alive until a new generation of Legionnaires could be recruited to revitalize Post 25. The torch has been passed. It is now up to us to continue making Post 25 a viable community asset through programs for Veterans and children and youth.
Additional Convention Notes:
The new Department Commander is Chuck Shoemaker, Shawnee Post
The new Department Vice Commander is Marri Krupco, Blue Mound Post.
The new 2nd District Vice Commander is Myra Jowers of our own Fort Scott Post.
Visitation Cancelled at Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility
Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility has been experiencing an increase in the presence of contraband drugs in the facility. This has resulted in one offender death and several offenders being hospitalized as a result of drug use. Contraband interdiction efforts have been increased. As a result, all visitation with offenders has been suspended this weekend, May 18 – 19, 2019.
Kansas Department of Transportation work on 69 Hwy. as seen from Eagle Road earlier in the expansion project.
The U.S.Hwy 69 expansion in Bourbon County is nearing completion.
“The four lanes should be completed within the next two to three weeks,” Priscilla Peterson, Public Affairs Manager, Southeast Kansas Department of Transportation said. “Although both north- and southbound traffic will be reduced to one lane to allow the contractor to finish work on the median and shoulders.”
It is projected that the four-lane section will be open to unrestricted traffic by mid to late June, she said.
“A ribbon cutting is in the works for late June, although we don’t yet have an exact date,” Peterson said.
