Cherry Jammers from Cherry Grove Baptist Church, rural Fort Scott, performed during a Friday Night Concert in 2018 at First United Methodist Church.
The Friday Night Concert in the Park series will kick off Friday, April 26 with piano students performing from the Tucker Music Studio.
Due to unpredictable spring weather, the concert will take place at 7:00 p.m. at Fort Scott’s First Southern Baptist Church, 1818 S. Main Street. The concerts normally take place at the Heritage Park Pavilion at First and Main Streets.
“I am really pleased to present this fine group of young ladies and gentlemen and their teacher, Carolyn Tucker, to the good people of Bourbon County and the surrounding area,” Ralph Carlson, event coordinator said.
The students scheduled to perform are Benjamin, Josiah, and Noelle Banwart, Abbigail Collins, Abigail DeLoera, Hannah Peck, Austin Sinn, and Garren and Gregg Tucker.
In addition, former students Kelcie Bailey and Breisen Keller will perform as guest pianists.
Carlson said the students range from elementary to high school in USD 234, USD 235, Fort Scott Christian Heights, and those that are homeschooled.
The concert will consist of a variety of music including classical, pop, gospel, patriotic, and folk. The evening will conclude with an instrumental wrap-up featuring Carolyn Tucker on piano and Ralph Carlson on guitar.
The concerts, which are free and open to the public, are sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.
Jess Ervin is the new CEO of the Southeast Kansas Community Action Program. Submitted photo.
Jess Ervin, Uniontown, transitioned to the role of Chief Executive Officer at Southeast Kansas Community Action Program on January 1, 2019.
“I replaced Steve Lohr, who was with SEK-CAP for nearly 40 years,” Ervin said. “He had served as CEO since 1999.”
Ervin’s office is located in Girard, at the SEK-CAP Central Office facility on North Sinnet Street.
“This location houses the Agency’s administrative offices, as well as office space for our Early Childhood Services staff,” Ervin said. “Also located here is an annex facility, in which our housing services and transportation departments are located.”
Ervin is a Bourbon County resident.
“I graduated from Uniontown High School in 2002, Fort Scott Community College in 2004 and Pittsburg State University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration,” he said.
“From 2006 to 2014, I worked at Mercy Health Center Fort Scott, first as a staff accountant, then as a senior accountant,” he said. “Following that time I transitioned into the role of a senior financial analyst for Mercy of Southwest Missouri and Kansas, where I worked until January of 2017. In January of 2017, I was hired as the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for SEK-CAP. I served in that capacity until the end of 2018.”
What does the future look like with Ervin as CEO?
“We will continue to serve the children, families and communities in the twelve counties in southeast Kansas,” Ervin said. “Our current services include Community Engagement, Early Childhood Services, Housing and Transportation.”
“We are currently engaged in completing a Community Needs Assessment for our service area that will combine both qualitative and quantitative data factors to determine areas of need, and to identify opportunities for change.”
SEK-CAP is active in Bourbon County.
“Right now in Bourbon County, we are active through Community Engagement, Housing Services and Early Childhood Services. Community Engagement encompasses community planning, involvement and needs assessment,” he said.
“Our housing services in Bourbon County include the Housing Choice Voucher Program (Section 8) and Tenant-Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) which can be utilized for homelessness assistance. Our wait list for TBRA is currently open and is set to close April 30th for the current grant cycle.”
“Early Childhood services include both a center-based (Head Start, ages 3-5) model that is housed in a classroom of the Fort Scott Preschool building, and Home-Based Services (Early Head Start and Head Start, prenatal through age 5), which are services delivered by staff who conduct weekly visits to children in their home, and work directly with the parents to promote healthy development. SEK-CAP’s Early Childhood programs promote school readiness for children prenatally to age five for low-income families by supporting the development of the whole child. Each Early Childhood program supports families in fulfilling their roles as parents and movement towards self-sufficiency by offering comprehensive services such as education, nutrition, medical, dental, mental health, employment services, leadership development and community engagement.”
“Each program our agency offers is vitally important to the success of the families and communities we serve, and we can proudly say that the skill and passion that our over 200 staff has for helping people is a cornerstone to all programs.”
Ervin encourages people to visit the agency website at www.sek-cap.com to learn more, and also on facebook and twitter – Southeast Kansas Community Action Program/@SEKCAPINC.
The mission of SEK CAP addresses the causes and effects of poverty by uniting staff, individuals, families and community partners to provide quality comprehensive services through compassionate, respectful relationships.
Take a walk at lunch with us on Wednesday, April 24, 2019
Did you know that walking just 30 minutes most days of the week can be beneficial to your well-being? Walking is one of the simplest, safest and most effective forms of exercise. A regular walking routine can help control weight, reduce stress and anxiety, lower blood pressure and have a positive influence on heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas is hosting the 13th annual National Walk @ Lunch Day to encourage busy people like you to take a walk during your lunch break and start a healthy routine.
Join us in Fort Scott for a Poker Walk over your lunch at Heritage Park Pavilion on 1st and Main street from 11 a.m.- 1 p.m. & Community Health Center (CHC) at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd from 12:15- 1:00 p.m. A limited number of free event T-shirts will be available at each location and the top poker hands will receive a prize.
Remember to bring your comfortable shoes to work on April 24. Then get out and walk with us!
Emelia Whiteaker works to improve the lives of area youth.
Whiteaker is the owner and trainer at Momentum Indoor Training located on the south, back side of Tractor Supply Store in the shopping center on South Main Street (69 Hwy.)
“I want Momentum Indoor Training to improve the overall health of all youths in our area, not just athletes,” she said. ” For this reason I am adding the Youth Fitness service. This option is for any aged youth who is not interested in athletics but wants/needs to have physical activity to improve and maintain a healthier lifestyle.”
The list of training opportunities are:
Sports Performance Training – Available Now – For athletes ages 8 and older. This training will teach the proper running, jumping, and movement mechanics while increasing an athlete’s overall athletic performance. Create a group of friends/teammates to receive group/team pricing.
Softball/Baseball Hitting Lessons – Begins in June – For any softball/baseball or tee ball player who wants to learn or needs to improve their hitting ability. Each lesson will include 10 minutes of structured warm-up, 40 minutes of skill training, and 10 minutes of flexibility training. The hitting instructors are currently playing at the Division 1 levels in their respective sports of softball and baseball.
Christian Novak
Softball Pitching Lessons – Begins in May – For any softball pitcher or potential pitcher. The softball pitching instructor is Christian Novak. A native of Nevada, MO, graduated with a master’s degree from the University of Memphis where she started 5 seasons for the Memphis Tigers. She threw 313 1/3 innings with 230 strikeouts for the Tigers and was recognized as the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the week in 2016 and named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll in 2017. She was an Academic All-American and named to the Academic All-Conference Team from 2014-2018.Christian is currently an assistant softball coach at an NAIA college.
Youth Fitness – Available Now – You create your own class of 4 to 5 individuals. This class is for those youths who just need a couple of hours a week of activity. It is designed to be low impact, bodyweight activities with very little running involved.
Prep Class – Available Now – You create your own group of youths ages 4-7, no more than 6 individuals in a class. This class utilizes fun games and activities to start teaching the mechanics movement along with assisting in the development of healthy muscles and bones.
For Pricing, Scheduling, or more information contact Momentum Indoor Training, (620) 223-1803, momentumtraining.com or find us on Facebook: @mitrainingfs.
The Southeast Kansas Community Action Program (SEK-CAP), will accept applications for the Tenant Based Rental Assistance (TBRA) program until 4:30pm on April 30th, 2019. SEK-CAP expects to have enough eligible applications by April 30th, 2019 to fully obligate the funding for this grant year. SEK-CAP will issue another press release to notify the public when the application process and waiting list is reopened.
The TBRA Program, funded through the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation, assists qualifying homeless individuals and families with rental subsidies, as well as security and utility deposits. Participants can receive rental assistance for up to two years in the counties of Allen, Bourbon, Cherokee, Chautauqua, Crawford, Elk, Labette, Linn, Montgomery, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson.
For more information about this program, please visit http://sekcap.housingmanager.com or call (620)724-8204. This is an Equal Housing Opportunity. ### ___________ The Southeast Kansas Community Action Program is a 501 (c) (3) private, non-profit organization serving twelve southeast Kansas counties. SEK-CAP is headquartered in Girard and was created in 1966 to combat poverty. The organizational mission is to address the causes and effects of poverty by uniting staff, individuals, families, and community partners to provide quality, comprehensive services through compassionate, respectful relationships. Programs include Head Start, Early Head Start, Housing, Community Engagement, and General Public Transportation. Contact the SEK-CAP central office at 401 N. Sinnet or by dialing 620.724.8204. Visit the website at www.sek-cap.com.
American Legion Baseball Information Session for players ages 16 to 19. Players must be a student or recent graduate of Fort Scott High School or Uniontown High School
Saturday, April 27, 2019 at 10:00am
Fort Scott Memorial Hall (Corner of National Ave. and 3rd Street)
1 E 3rd St, Fort Scott, KS 66701
Email Post 25 Baseball Chair Earl Adams at [email protected] with any questions.
Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel
Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship
Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency
Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships
Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property
Matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system
Since August 2018, Fort Scottians can take a bus to Wichita and Joplin and points in between on Beeline Express, seven days a week.
“This is a community service for rural Kansans,” said Jim Lynch, the manager of Beeline Express. “It’s subsidized by the Kansas Department of Transportation.”
The pickup point is Pump N Pete’s, 1920 S. Main on 69 Hwy.
Riders can purchase a one-way ticket for $40 for the destination of Wichita, with stops at Iola, Eureka, and El Dorado, Lynch said.
The 48 passenger bus has a restroom and electric chargers for phones, Lynch said.
A photo of the inside of the Beeline Express bus at Pump N Pete’s on April 11.
“You can put the seats back and take a nap,” he said. “We do have wheelchair accessibility.”
“A lot of people use it for Fort Scott to Joplin,” Lynch said. The cost of a ticket from Fort Scott to Joplin is $19, with a stop in Pittsburg.
The bus arrives at 8:55 a.m. at Pump N Petes on 69 Hwy. and arrives at noon in Wichita. It leaves Wichita at 2:45 p.m. on its way back to Joplin.
Pump N Pete’s, 1920 S. Main is the Fort Scott stopping place for Beeline Express.
It arrives at 5:55 p.m. in Fort Scott to pick up riders and arrives in Joplin at 7:15 p.m.
These trip departure times are posted in Pump N Petes, 1920 S. Main, Fort Scott, but have since been modified by five minutes. Pick up time in Fort Scott is 8:55 a.m.These trip times and prices are posted at Pump N Pete’s but have since been modified. The departure time to Joplin is now 5:55 p.m. The cost from Wichita to Fort Scott is reduced to $40 and Fort Scott to Joplin is reduced to $19.
“A person can just show up, pay $40 and get on the bus to Wichita,” Lynch said. To pre-arrange phone 1-855-201-6700. The Beeline office number is 316-249-6774 with office hours 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
REMINDER: PLEASE ONLY PUT TREE BRANCHES, BRUSH, LEAVES, GRASS AND YARD WASTE AT THE BURN PILE. ALL OTHER ITEMS ARE FORBIDDEN. WHEN BURNING THE PILE ON APRIL 4, SOMETHING EXPLODED AND SENT GLASS FRAGMENTS FLYING. WE ARE ALL VERY LUCKY THAT OUR MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL WERE NOT INJURED.
FIRST MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 2019 REVIVAL – SUNDAY, APRIL 14, THROUGH WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 7PM, PASTOR MURRAY SATTERFIELD
CITATIONS WILL BE ISSUED IN APRIL FOR FAILURE TO REGISTER YOUR CAT/DOG. IF YOU DO NOT REGISTER UNTIL AFTER A CITATION IS RECEIVED YOU WILL HAVE TO PAY COURT COST, REGISTRATION FEE FOR EACH ANIMAL, AND LATE FEE FOR EACH ANIMAL.
THE 2019 SPRING CITYWIDE CLEANUP HAS BEEN SCHEDULED FOR MAY 3, 4, & 5. THERE WILL BE 3 DUMPSTERS ON THE RAILROAD RIGHT OF WAY AT FIRST AND CLAY STREETS. CLEAN OUT THE GARAGE, ATTIC, AND CLOSETS!
THE COUNCIL ADOPTED A NEW ORDINANCE REGARDING THE SELL OF CEREAL MALT BEVERAGES AND BEER NOT TO EXCEED 6% ALCOHOL BY VOLUME. IT WILL BE PLACED ON THE FEATURES PAGE AFTER IT HAS BEEN PUBLISHED IN THE FORT SCOTT TRIBUNE.
2019 is an election year for local governments and school boards. There are three city council positions and four school board positions for election this year. If interested in running for any of these positions contact City Hall or USD 235 Board Clerk. Filing deadline is noon June 3, 2019.
Beginning July 1, 2019, we will be able to accept debit/credit cards for payments of utilities, court fines/fees, and miscellaneous fees, licenses and permits. Payments may be made online at govpaynow.com (pay location code a001te for utilities, code a001ud for court fines/fees, and code a001td for misc permits/license fees), by phone, or in person at City Hall. A link on this page is coming soon. Call or stop by City Hall for more information.
We have received complaints of coyotes running in town. We have contacted Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks to find out how to get rid of them. They suggested that they are probably young coyotes and are looking for food. Please do not feed your pets outside and put your garbage in a covered container. If they can’t find food they will go elsewhere.
There has been some inquiry about “pit bull” dogs in town. The City still has an ordinance banning “pit bull” breeds and mixes. We would also like to remind citizens that each household is only allowed three dogs and three cats six months of age or older.
The Council would like to ask owners of golf carts to make sure there is an adult in the golf cart when being driven by minors under the age of 16. Thank you for your cooperation.
We would like to remind owners of go-karts to not drive them on city streets as they can’t be seen by drivers of other vehicles.
