A former Girard medical doctor and his wife shared some of their experiences as medical missionaries to Haiti on Dec. 18 at Girard’s Public Library.
Dr. Jim and Sandy Wilkins have served in Haiti since 1999 and currently have approximately 35,000 patients in the area they serve west of the capital city, Port Au Prince. They are home visiting family for two weeks.
Haiti Health Ministries is located in Gressier.
Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and conditions have deteriorated even further since the assassination of the country’s president this year, Sandy said.
Haiti, taken from BIng.
The COVID Pandemic has curtailed the normal amount of volunteers that the ministry has seen in the past.
The current need is a maintenance person and other Christian mission-minded volunteers, Jim said.
Evergy line men replace a rotted pole in Uniontown last year.
Power restored to more than 90% of Evergy customers affected by windstorm
Neighboring line crews arrive as around the clock restoration continues
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Dec. 16, 2021 – By Thursday evening, Evergy crews had restored power to more than 90 percent of customers impacted by extreme winds on Wednesday. Evergy crews were joined by more than 250 personnel from regional neighboring utilities to help restore power to Evergy customers in Kansas and Missouri.
Wednesday’s windstorm brought sustained high winds to the entirety of Evergy’s service area, with gusts up to 100 mph in some locations. Strong winds brought down power lines, broke poles and caused other damage to the power grid, interrupting service to 258,000 Evergy customers. Evergy crews made steady progress restoring power, and 62 percent of impacted customers were back on by Thursday morning. By about 8 p.m. Thursday, outage numbers had been reduced to about 20,000 customers. Evergy expects power to be restored to nearly all affected customers by Friday evening, but some outages will extend into the weekend.
Chuck Caisley talked about some challenges that made power restoration challenging in a Thursday afternoon news conference. Much of the initial damage assessment and restoration work was at night, and damage from the storm was spread across the Evergy service area. In many areas, the nature of the damage meant that each repair restores power to a small number of customers.
Crews from Ameren, Liberty Utilities and City of Springfield have joined Evergy crews and contractors to make repairs and restore power. Work continues in communities across Kansas and Missouri, as the damage from the storm was widespread. Crews will continue to work around the clock until power to all customers is restored.
As weather is cooler, customers are encouraged to assess personal safety of staying at home during extended power outages. Family members who are very young, elderly or have compromised health may need to seek alternative shelter. If you have family, friends or neighbors who are without power, please check on them.
Evergy crews may use road or sidewalk barricades and traffic cones to make work areas safe. Please do not bypass these safety measures, putting crews, yourself or others potentially in harm’s way.
Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. has announced the recipients of its 2021 Concern for Community grants.
“We had a great group of applicants this year and we’re excited to be able to support nine projects,” said Doug Graham, communication specialist.
The recipients are listed in alphabetical order below. Please see the attached press release for more information, and feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Bourbon County Fair Association will receive $5,000 for a new furnace and roof repairs at the 4-H building in Fort Scott.
Castaways Animal Shelter & Sanctuary east of Chanutewill receive $200 for equipment to furnish its animal boardingarea.
The Learning Center,an alternative school program operated by Interlocal 637 and located in Girard, will receive $5,000 for a soft pour playground surface to help complete their playground renovation project.
The Learning Tree Institute at Greenbush will receive $4,963 to build a ramp and pathways in the education service center’s simulated rainforest to make the environment and learning stations accessible to people of all abilities.
Library District #2 of Linn County will receive $5,000 for a memory lab at the La Cygne library. The memory lab will include equipment for creating digital copies of physical media such as photos, VHS tapes, cassettes, and more.
Neosho County Fair Association will receive $5,000 to go toward construction of a new rodeo arena at the Neosho County fairgrounds.
Saint Paul Mission Township Fire Department Auxiliary, Inc., will receive $5,000 to purchase handheld radios to complete the fire department’s communications upgrades.
Tri-Valley Developmental Services, Inc., will receive $1,300 for an automated external defibrillator at its Chanute service center.
Wesley United Methodist Church Iola will receive $5,000 to go toward construction of transitional housing for Allen County residents in need.
This newsletter about new books is distributed to people who are registered adult users at a southeast Kansas library participating in the SEKnFind catalog. We hope you find it useful, but if you don’t wish to receive this anymore, you can click on the “Manage Subscriptions or Unsubscribe” link at the bottom.
All the books included in this newsletter are new additions in one or more SEKnFind libraries–and since the catalog is shared, that means they are available to you whether they are in your local library or not! Just place a hold on the item(s) you want. If you don’t know how, your librarian can show you.
In June of 1954, 18-year-old Emmett Watson, released after serving 15 months for involuntary manslaughter, discovers that two friends from the work farm have hidden themselves in the trunk of the warden’s car and have hatched a different plan for Emmett’s future.
As Christmas 1971 approaches, the Hildebrand family of New Prospect, Illinois deals increasing points of crisis including a stale marriage, the draft and their son’s sexual orientation in the first novel in a new trilogy from the author of Purity
Lily Atwood, a beloved television reporter with fame, fortune, Emmy awards and a young daughter is spooked when the anonymous source who feeds her tips begins suddenly giving her inside information about her own life. 60,000 first printing.
A widowed astrobiologist and single father to a troubled son contemplates an experimental neurofeedback treatment that trains the boy on the recorded patterns of his mother’s brain in the new novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Overstory
Under the cover of the Madwomen’s Ball—when the great and good come to gawk at the patients of the Salpetriere Asylum in Paris—19-year-old Eugenie, who can see spirits, is determined to escape and seek those who will believe in her. 40,000 first printing.
Inspired by Hungarian history and Jewish mythology, a debut novel follows Évike, a young pagan woman, as she, rescued by Gáspár, the one-eyed captain of the Woodsmen—and a disgraced prince, makes a tenuous pact to stop his brother from instigating a violent reign. 100,000 first printing.
When creatures from myth and legend come out of the shadows, setting off a chain of seemingly unrelated events, people start disappearing, suicides and hate crimes increase and protests erupt globally—until the world finds out what has frightened the monsters out of the dark.
The last living member of the Silver Order, a holy brotherhood dedicated to defending humanity from vampires, stands alone to fight and tell his story in a world where the sun hasn’t risen in 27 years. 100,000 first printing.
A 115-year-old man lies on his deathbed as the 2016 election results arrive, and revisits his life in a story of love, fatherhood, and the American century from a Pulitzer Prize winner.
“January 29, 1863. United States Army troops attack a Shoshoni village on the banks of the Bear River in what is now southeastern Idaho. Four hours later, the army abandons the field, leaving behind the dead bodies of some three hundred men, women, and children. This all-but-forgotten massacre stands today as the worst killing of Indians by the military in the history of the American West. In the pages of And the River Ran Red, four-time Spur Award-winning author Rod Miller puts human faces and feelings on this incomparable tragedy. Follow Shoshoni leaders Bear Hunter and Sagwitch, military officers Colonel Patrick Edward Connor and Major Edward F. McGarry, Mormon leader Brigham Young, and frontiersman Porter Rockwell in a tapestry of intrigue and violence leading up to the massacre, and its aftermath. Chilling in its detail, scrupulous in its portrayal of history, And the River Ran Red sheds light on a dark day that deserves to come out of the shadows and find its place in the history of the West”
A groundbreaking, urgent report from the front lines of “dirty work”—the work that society considers essential but morally compromised. 50,000 first printing. Index.
Can reading a book make you more rational? Can it help us understand why there is so much irrationality in the world? The author of Enlightenment Now answers all the questions
“Combining a journalist’s investigative eye with her unborn second child as an experimental guinea pig, Baby, Unplugged draws on Sophie Brickman’s own experiences as a journalist and parent to try to discover what aspects of technology are actually helpful, which are making us crazy, and most importantly, how we might learn to trust ourselves and our instincts again when it comes to raising children”
“A riveting exploration of the phenomenon of psychosomatic disorders, mass hysteria, and other culture-bound syndromes occurring around the world. In Sweden, hundreds of refugee children fall asleep for months and years at a time. In upstate New York, teenage girls develop involuntary twitches and seizures that spread like a contagion. In the US Embassy in Cuba, employees experience headaches and memory loss after hearing strange noises in the night. There are more than 200 officially listed culture-bound syndromes–specific sets of symptoms that exist in a particular culture–affecting people around the world. In The Sleeping Beauties, Dr. Suzanne O’Sullivan–a prize winning British neurologist–investigates psychosomatic disorders and mass hysteria, traveling the world to visit communities suffering from these so-called “mystery” illnesses. From a derelict post-Soviet mining town in Kazakhstan, to the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua, to the heart of the Maria Mountains in Colombia, O’Sullivan records the remarkable stories of culture-bound syndromes related by an array of people from all walks of life. She presents these curious and often distressing case studies of seeming mass hysteria with compassion and humanity, persuasively arguing that psychologicalsuffering demands much greater respect and discussion than it’s given at present. In attempting to understand the complexity of psychogenic illness, O’Sullivan has given us a book of both fascination and serious concern as these syndromes continue to proliferate around the globe”
An illustrated guide to the animals and insects that live in our yards and gardens and act as helpful friends by pollinating and keeping pests in check and includes information on welcoming and nurturing these creatures. Original. 10,000 first printing. Illustrations.
“Modern Freezer Meals provides one hundred fresh recipes for frozen food–from healthy, vibrant grain bowls to proteins cooked straight from the freezer with tons of flavor still intact. Frozen food guru Ali Rosen offers proper packing and labeling techniques to shatter some of the myths around freezer meals. The days of freezer burn or giant blocks of unwieldy meals are replaced by dozens of dishes that stand up to the cold”
“The entire history of popular music over the past fifty years refracted through the big genres that have defined and dominated it-including rock, country, punk, R&B, dance and hip-hop-woven together into a cosmic reckoning with music’s evolution as a popular art form, as a huge cultural and economic force, and as an essential component to our identities, from Black Sabbath to Black Flag to Beyoncé, and beyond”
Told for the first time, this legendary story, which was the inspiration for the film Raiders of the Lost Ark follows a British rogue nobleman, who, after being dared to do so, headed a secret 1909 expedition to find the fabled Ark of the Covenant. 75,000 first printing. Illustrations.
In July 2019, Nick took a hiking trip to Glacier National Park with his friends Jeff Tweedy and George Saunders. The trip, and the conversations between the three men, began a study and exploration of both the American West and its National Parks that addresses so many of the important issues that affect America today. This book both maps out the group’s travels and dives deeply into subjects such as: the history and geology of the National Parks of the West; farming, animal life, and conservation; the importance of outdoor recreation, including hunting and fishing.
People line up at the Crumble and Cream food truck on Thursday afternoon on the Tractor Supply Company parking lot.
A new food truck business visited Fort Scott on Oct. 21.
The Crumble and Cream food truck was positioned in the parking lot of Tractor Supply Company, Scooters Coffee House, and Hibbets Sports Store on South Main Street, for its debut in Fort Scott.
Specials of the day for Crumble and Cream food truck are listed on signs in front of the truck.
“We specialize in deep dish cookies,” Joshua Scott, operations manager, said. “They are soft and gooey on the inside and slightly crusty on the outside.” They also have ice cream and sundaes.
Joshua Scott, operations manager of Crumble and Cream food truck.
The Crumble and Cream business is headquartered in Wichita and is owned by Rachel Marlow. Marlow started the venture four months ago, Scott said.
The food truck gets daily shipments of fresh cookies to replenish supplies.
“The home office in Wichita is where the bakery is,” Scott said. “We are entirely mobile, on the road.”
“We are visiting many towns really quick, going to places a second time in maybe six weeks,” Scott said.
The hours were from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The price of the cookies is $5 each or six cookies for $25.
Cara Guthries pays the food truck assistant Tandi Jackson, Pittsburg, for sundaes.
“Facebook is our huge (marketing) type of notifying people of when we will be in town,” he said. On Oct. 20 they were in Chanute, yesterday in Fort Scott, and today in Iola, he said.
Blaze Burns smiles after just receiving his Monster Sundae on Thursday afternoon at the Crumble and Cream food truck.
He stays in a hotel each night in between cities.
“Going to small towns, we are having success,” he said. “We also do corporate events.”
Corporate events, such as an apartment landlord providing the truck for a few hours for tenants, or Scholfield Honda and Home Depot paying a flat fee and serving all their employees to show appreciation, Scott said.
To find out more, follow them on their Crumble and Cream Facebook page.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Oct. 18, 2021 – Evergy (NYSE: EVRG) today issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for wind energy to supply the needs of its customers.
The RFP solicits bids for Evergy’s purchase of wind resources of up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) that will be in service by 2026. Projects that achieve commercial operation by mid-2024 and year-end 2025 will be given preference. Wind resources must be a minimum of 50 MW and interconnect to the Southwest Power Pool (SPP). Siting preference will be given to projects located in Kansas.
Proposals are due by Nov. 23, 2021. Response and contact information are available online at www.evergy.com/2021rfp. Proposals selected from the RFPs are subject to appropriate regulatory approvals.
Evergy has outlined its plan to expand ownership of renewable energy and to retire fossil-fueled generation as the company works toward its 2045 target for net zero carbon emissions. These wind projects would fulfill the plan to add up to 1,000 MW of wind energy by 2026 with projects that benefit from production tax credits.
About Evergy, Inc.
Evergy, Inc. (NYSE: EVRG) serves approximately 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. We were formed in 2018 when long-term local energy providers KCP&L and Westar Energy merged. We generate nearly half the power we provide to homes and businesses with emission-free sources. We support our local communities where we live and work, and strive to meet the needs of customers through energy savings and innovative solutions.
PRATT – When a lure drops below the water’s surface, it’s not always known what might rise to meet it. On a warm night late last month, one angler fishing the Neosho River east of Parsons caught something he probably never expected to see – a four and a half-foot, 39.5-pound Alligator Gar. The kicker? Alligator Gar aren’t native to Kansas and have never been documented here.
Though not always common, Alligator Gar are distributed from southwestern Ohio and southeastern Missouri and Illinois, south to the Gulf of Mexico, and a small portion of northeastern Mexico. A predatory fish, Alligator Gar are sometimes referred to as “living fossils” since fossil records trace them back nearly 100 million years. As the name implies, Alligator Gar are easily identified by their broad snouts that loosely resemble that of the American Alligator. Alligator Gar are the largest gar species with specimens weighing more than 300 pounds and measuring more than 8 feet long. Just three gar species are native to Kansas: Longnose, Shortnose, and Spotted Gar. Longnose Gar are the most common and largest gar species in Kansas. While the Longnose Gar are common in the state and reach lengths exceeding 5 feet, they are distinguished from the Alligator Gar by a narrow snout and smaller overall size, among other characteristics. So, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Fisheries biologists must ask, “What’s an alligator gar doing in the Neosho River?”
It’s a good question, and one KDWP Fisheries biologists are attempting to answer.
“We’re confident the information from the angler is accurate and the fish was, in fact, caught from the Neosho River,” said KDWP Fisheries biologist Connor Ossowski. “However, that doesn’t mean the fish originated from the river.”
To determine the fish’s origins, KDWP biologists have several unique options.
Since all states involved in Alligator Gar reintroduction efforts for populations in decline have been tagging each hatchery-produced Alligator Gar, KDWP staff had the option of looking for a tag. After using a “wand” to detect any identification markers, KDWP staff are confident this catch was not part of a formal reintroduction effort.
“Because most populations of this species can be distinguished from one another with a sample of the fish’s fins, another option we’re considering is genetic identification,” said KDWP assistant director of Fisheries research, Jeff Koch. “This will tell us if the fish came from an existing population in another state.”
If genetic testing doesn’t pan out, not all hope is lost; KDWP Fisheries biologists would still have one more option.
“Microchemistry is another technique at our disposal,” Koch added.
Microchemistry is performed by measuring the elemental proportion of a bone on a given fish and comparing it to the elemental concentration of a surrounding water. If consistencies exist, the data may be able to help Fisheries biologists determine at least how long the fish had been in the Neosho River.
Of all the potential scenarios for how this giant came to be in the Neosho River, there’s one hypothesis that rings the truest – the possibility that the Kansas-caught Alligator Gar was released from an aquarium.
“It’s not unlikely that this fish was once somebody’s pet or purchased from a pet store, and simply released into the river once it became too large,” said Doug Nygren, KDWP Fisheries Division director. “These techniques should allow us to determine which mode of introduction occurred.”
Time will tell if the Neosho River Alligator Gar made its way to the Sunflower State by natural or assisted means. While it would be very difficult for this fish to have made its way to Kansas naturally, due to the distance to the nearest population and the series of dams along the river, KDWP Fisheries biologists won’t jump to conclusions; they’ll do as they always have, which is rely on verifiable data from proven research methods.
Once their research is complete, KDWP Fisheries biologists will publish the results of this catch on ksoutdoors.com and on the Kansas Fisheries Division Facebook page at www.facebook.com/KDWPFisheries.
In the meantime, it’s important to note that transporting and releasing fish or other species in public waters, whether native or non-native, is illegal in Kansas. Chris Steffen, KDWP Aquatic Nuisance Species coordinator, warns, “Transporting and releasing fish risks spreading other harmful species such as microscopic zebra mussels, fish diseases, or aquatic vegetation that might be present in the water used to transport the fish.”
STATE TREASURER TO CELEBRATE OKTOBERFEST IN PITTSBURG
Lynn Rogers, Kansas State Treasurer, will join local citizens in celebrating Oktoberfest on Sunday, October 10th. Rogers will be the guest speaker at a fundraiser hosted by the Crawford County Democrat Party being held at the Frisco Event Center, 210 E. Fourth, in Pittsburg starting at 12 noon.
Nancy Ingle, Party County Chair, said that the “local Democrats are excited to welcome the State Treasurer back to Crawford County. Lynn has served the people of Kansas well first as Lieutenant Governor and now Treasurer.” In a recent month (August) nearly 6,000 Kansans received checks for unclaimed property totaling 6.3 million dollars. “That’s the kind of common-sense hard work that Kansans expect from their government,” Ingle stated.
In addition to Rogers, other candidates, including Patrick Schmidt, candidate for Second District Congress, will be in attendance.
The celebration will offer a traditional Oktoberfest menu and live performances by local musicians. Tickets are $10 for adults, children age 5 to 12 $5, and children under the age of 5 are free.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., – Oct. 1, 2021 – Evergy has received customer reports today of individuals placing phone calls to customers and claiming to be Evergy representatives. The individuals are asking customers for immediate payment to avoid service disconnection. These representatives are not employees of Evergy. For past-due accounts, calls from Evergy requesting payment are never made the same day as the disconnection.
Several customers have contacted us after receiving suspicious calls. In most cases, the caller claims to be an Evergy customer service representative and asks the customer to provide credit card information or other personal information, telling the customer a check has bounced or he or she has a past-due bill. Imposters will often ask customers to use a pre-paid card for payment. Evergy will never ask a customer to purchase a pre-paid debit card to pay for service.
Customers may verify an individual is from Evergy by asking to see company identification or by calling the Customer Contact Center before giving any information such as your Evergy account number or banking information. If you can’t verify that you’re speaking with an Evergy employee, do not give them this information. Evergy Missouri and Evergy Kansas Metro customers may reach customer service toll-free at 1-888-471-5275. Evergy Kansas Central customers may call 1-800-383-1183. Customers can also review their account status online by visiting www.evergy.com.
Evergy wants its customers to know how to identify Evergy representatives. Employees will carry Evergy employee identification. For a service appointment, they may be driving an Evergy vehicle or wearing Evergy branded clothing. Evergy does not perform door-to-door sales. Evergy employees rarely need to enter a customer’s home.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, scammers have increased calls, texts, emails, and in-person tactics and are contacting utility customers asking for immediate payment to avoid service disconnection. As a reminder, Evergy will never ask customers to make payments with a pre-paid debit card, gift card, any form of cryptocurrency, or third-party digital payment mobile applications. If you feel you have been a victim of a scam, please work with your local law enforcement agency to report the crime.
Customers without service can take advantage of special payment plan in October
Overland Park, Kan. – Oct. 1, 2021 – Colder temperatures are on the horizon, and Kansas Gas
Service urges customers with inactive service to sign-up for a special offering. During October,
customers who have exhausted standard payment arrangement opportunities can make a down
payment to restore their service.
“We understand many customers continue to navigate through the challenges of the pandemic,
and we don’t want any of them to go without their natural gas service,” said Abbey Frye, director
of Customer Service for Kansas Gas Service. “By taking advantage of this special offer to
re-establish service now, those customers can also avoid the winter rush that brings longer wait
times.”
How to sign up for the payment plan:
• CALL – Call the Kansas Gas Service Customer Contact Center at 800-794-4780.
• PAY – Pay one-fourth of the total account balance. The company will bill the remaining
balance in six monthly installments.
• SCHEDULE – Schedule service restoration. Customer Service Representatives are
available to assist Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Customers who are experiencing financial hardships may qualify for assistance through several
programs and community agencies. Visit the KansasGasService.com/Cares for energy assistance
resources.
About Kansas Gas Service
Kansas Gas Service provides a reliable and affordable energy choice to more than 640,000 customers in Kansas and
is the largest natural gas distributor in the state, in terms of customers.
Headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas Gas Service is a division of ONE Gas, Inc. (NYSE: OGS), a 100-percent
regulated natural gas utility that trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “OGS.” ONE Gas is
included in the S&P MidCap 400 Index and is one of the largest natural gas utilities in the United States.
For more information and the latest news about Kansas Gas Service, visit kansasgasservice.com and follow its social
channels: @KansasGas, Facebook, Nextdoor, LinkedIn and YouTube.
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Governor Laura Kelly Celebrates New AdventHealth South Overland Park Hospital
OVERLAND PARK – Governor Laura Kelly yesterday celebrated the grand opening of the AdventHealth South Overland Park Hospital, the Kansas City metro’s first new, full-service hospital in 15 years.
“I want to thank AdventHealth for anticipating and responding to the increased need for health care in this area,” Governor Kelly said. “My administration will continue to work with our hospitals during the pandemic and beyond to ensure that they have what they need to provide quality health services for Kansans.”
The 193,000-square-foot addition to the Bluhawk development was designed to provide patients with access to a full suite of medical and emergency services when it opens in early October 2021. The addition includes a birth center, surgical services, intensive care unit, heart care and more.
“Our patients have demonstrated clear need for expanded services in southern Johnson County and surrounding communities, and we are thrilled to provide these with our whole-person care approach,” Alan Verrill, MD, chief executive officer for AdventHealth South Overland Park, said. “Our facilities and our staff provide so much more than medicine by caring for our patients’ body, mind and spirit and we are proud to have the opportunity to deliver this care in a beautiful, high-quality facility.”
