Barn Quilt Workshop hosted by Pawnee 4-H Club

Submitted by Joy Miller

Come create a barn quilt with the Pawnee 4-H Club. The proceeds from the workshop will be used to build cabinets to display 4-H’ers exhibits during the fair. The Workshop is Friday, May 12, and Saturday, May 13, at the 4-H Building located on the Bourbon County Fairgrounds. The cost is $20 per person and includes instructions, 14 quilt patterns to choose from, a 2’ x 2’ primed board, paint and brushes.

Call or Text 620-215- 6538 to RSVP.K-State to host Spring Crops Field Day in Parsons

Wheat variety plot tour plus corn and soybean disease updates

Submitted by Christopher Petty

Different soil types and climate considerations make growing wheat, corn and soybeans in Southeast Kansas somewhat different from growing crops in other parts of the state. Kansas State University’s Southeast Research and Extension Center will host a Spring Crops Field Day on May 23 to update producers in the region on the latest information on varieties, production methods and disease management.

The field day starts with registration and a complimentary breakfast from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the research center, 25092 Ness Road, (immediately south of U.S. Highway 400) in Parsons.

The program includes:

• Wheat Variety Plot Tour – Doug Shoup, K-State extension crops and soils specialist, Lonnie Mengarelli, K-State research assistant and seed company representatives;
• Effectiveness of Precision Planting Row Units – Ajay Sharda, K-State extension precision agriculture/machine systems engineer;
• Reducing the Impact of Fusarium Head Blight in Wheat – Gretchen Sassenrath, K-State extension crop production agronomist; and
• Corn and Soybean Disease Update – Doug Jardine, K-State extension plant pathologist.

There is no cost to attend. In case of rain, the program will be conducted indoors. More information is available by calling 620-421-4826.

Trends in Leadership

Submitted Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension District, Director

Ask yourself, “What do I think about leadership and myself as a leader?” Each one of us has a wide range of skills, interests and abilities that we use in our daily lives – at home with our family, on the job and in our communities.  As the first in a series of articles focusing on leadership, I hope to motivate you to release the leader within and get yourself up and moving to contribute as a leader to your school, church, community or even among your friends.

As you consider your leadership philosophy and style, ask yourself what can I contribute to my organizations and community – either on or off the job? Understanding and supporting the motivation of the individual group member is vital. Your own enthusiasm and commitment are also crucial to success.  As someone who attends a great deal of meetings each month, I see a wide range of leadership and experience in serving on local boards. In my observations, the best leaders are not always the most outspoken or aggressive, but often the “thinkers” at the back of the room who wait until the perfect moment to speak their opinions. That is not to say those that speak up are wrong in their ideas, just that we should all be aware of possible leaders at our activities – and not determine leadership by where a person sits in the room.

Citizen leaders are people in the community who are concerned about the quality of life in their community. They assume responsibility for the public good and see a need to act together for the common good of the community. Citizen leaders take ownership of the problems and opportunities that exist in the community and hold themselves accountable for seeing that action is taken. In other words, they don’t want “experts” or politicians to solve the problems for them.

Citizen leaders work with others in the community to identify opportunities or problems. They help others articulate a common purpose and set goals and objectives. They also assume that there are differences in the way people regard the opportunity or problem – such as different values of the people, different experiences and different viewpoints. Citizen leaders help people connect their differences to the common purpose that brought them together. In other words, the citizen leader helps people see how their differences can be used to solve problems rather than be a point of conflict. In the Southwind District, these citizen leaders are often the most exciting group for us to work with. With a shared passion for the betterment of Allen, Bourbon and Neosho Counties, and resources from Kansas State University, the possibilities are truly endless.

When you are thinking about moving into a leadership position, or a more active role as a group member, think about these questions:

• What skills do I have to offer?
• What would I like to learn more about?
• What is it that I don’t like to do?
• What do I want to do, but am hesitant about?

Think about what motivates you, get excited about that motivation and consider the opportunity to step up and serve as a local leader in your own community.  I would be interested in your thoughts on leadership, so please email me at [email protected] if you are motivated to consider leadership as an activity and not just a position.

A large number of community members, from a variety of positions and denominations, participated in the 66^th annual National Day of Prayer Thursday morning at the Fort Scott Community College.

The Pioneer Kiwanis hosted the annual event while a number of churches and other organizations—including the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, the Fort Scott Ministerial Alliance and Cheney Witt Chapel—were involved in the event, which this year had the theme of “For Your Great Name’s Sake: Hear us…Forgive us…Heal us.”

“We come together—many different people, many different backgrounds—and yet we have in common, prayer,” Reverend Steve Cole of First United Methodist Church prayed during the invocation.

Cole also specifically prayed for people of the community impacted by the recent flooding, members of the military and their families and for Fort Scott.

Dick Hedges was the featured speaker, and spoke of the need for hope.

“I think all of us need hope in our loves,” Hedges said, sharing examples of people in history who had to renew their hope in order to continue their tasks, which greatly impacted future generations.

Hedge said hope is in the promises of God for the future, but each person is only guaranteed the present day. Because of that, Hedges encouraged those in attendance to live each day in a way that blesses others.

Representatives of the Republican Parties of Senate District 13 elected Richard Hilderbrand of Galena in Cherokee County to replace former Senator Jake LaTurner, who was sworn in as the state treasurer April 26.

“I think it’s important for all of District 13 to have representation,” Hilderbrand said during a Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce event April 27. “I will work hard for you guys, too, to represent you guys and to represent your values.”

Hilderbrand garnered the needed majority of ballots on the very first vote Sunday afternoon, receiving 52 of the 92 ballots. Others considered for nomination included Terry Calloway, who received 24 votes, Dale Coomes with 11, and Todd Biggs with five votes.

All four district counties, including Cherokee, Crawford, Labette and Bourbon counties, were represented at the convention of delegates held in Pittsburg Sunday afternoon. Bourbon County Republican Party Chairperson Randall Readinger conducted the convention.

Hilderbrand reported to Topeka to be sworn in on Monday, immediately participating in the legislative session that began that same morning. That seat will be up for election again in a special election to be held in November of 2018, before joining the normal cycle with a general election in 2020.

While some residents experienced soggy yards and full ditches over the weekend, other areas of Bourbon County suffered from flooding as the Marmaton River and other bodies of water overflowed their banks.

Heavy rains continued consistently Friday evening into Sunday, leading to flash flood warnings and a number of road closures. Other public areas including Gunn Park, Second Street Park and the Riverfront Park were also closed as they were submerged.

Emergency Management Director William Wallis said the state contacted him a number of times over the weekend to make sure the county was not experiencing any major emergencies due to the rainfall. While the Marmaton River reached 43.2 feet Sunday afternoon, well above the 38 foot flood stage, Wallis said he did not personally hear of any emergencies or rescues in the county outside of normal dispatch calls.

“Just a lot of water in a lot of places,” Wallis said.

Wallis said the National Weather Service calculates the flood levels will still be at about 40.7 feet Monday, but then will drop drastically to approximately 26 feet by Tuesday.

To see other photos of flooded areas submitted by our readers, visit our Facebook page.

While East and Southeast Kansas received several inches of rain over the weekend, West Kansas received heavy snowfall.

With Senator Jake LaTurner taking on the duties of the state treasurer after being appointed to that position by Governor Sam Brownback on April 18, the Republican Precinct Committee members of LaTurner’s 13^th District face the task of nominating his replacement.

Four candidates are currently being considered for the nomination to the seat, whose district includes the southern part of Bourbon and Labette counties and all of Cherokee and Crawford counties.

Local party leader Randall Readinger said the Convention of Delegates will be held in Pittsburg Sunday, where nominations will be made and voted on by those committee members of the district. The voting will happen in rounds until a candidate receives a majority of the votes.

A forum was held Tuesday afternoon, when members of the Republican Party were able to hear candidates introduce themselves and discuss topics such as education funding, rural hospital issues, tax lid legislation and their commitment to defending the seat during a special election in 2018.

The four candidates up for nomination include Richard Hilderbrand of Galena, Dale Coomes of Girard and Todd Briggs and Terry Calloway of Pittsburg. Jeff Fischer and Robert Uhler of Bourbon County initially submitted their names as potential candidates but later withdrew.

Readinger said the consensus after the forum was that the candidates have varying backgrounds and experiences and any of them would serve the district well.

“Any of them could do a good job for the District, if elected,” Readinger said.

The successful nominee after Sunday’s vote is expected to take his position Monday, May 1, with the beginning of the new legislation session.

In honor of Earth Day, Bourbon County and the City of Fort Scott encourage residents to participate in a county-wide, clean-up initiative that includes free trips to the landfill and other services.

On Friday and Saturday, April 21 and 22, there will be no fees at the county landfill, which is also currently accepting tires for free, and dumpsters will be available at the intersections of 6^th Street and Margrave and 6^th Street and N. National Avenue. The latter location will also have recycling trailers available.

Two dumpsters will be available at each location from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to accept household trash as well as construction and demolition materials. Dumpsters will be donated by Skitch’s Hauling and Excavation.

After slowing down because of recent rains, the Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center project continues to move forward, remaining on track to finish this fall.

“It’s moving right along,” Bourbon County Commission Chairperson Lynne Oharah said during their meeting Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, the commissioners visited the site for a tour and meeting concerning the progress of the project. The pods, stairwells and interior door frames have been installed in the building, which is now almost fully enclosed with a roof and exterior walls. Upcoming tasks include continuing the brick work and beginning work on the kitchen.

During a work session held Wednesday morning, the Bourbon County Commission met with Kansas Department of Transportation employee Darrin Petrowsky to look over plans for the Highway 69 widening project and ask questions.

The commissioners looked at plans for the six-mile project in Bourbon County, specifically asking questions about new and existing access roads. Commissioners said they had received questions from residents asking if they would still be able to access or cross the highway at existing points, and Petrowsky said they would.

Commissioners also asked how those roads would be paved, with gravel or asphalt, since they will be given to the county for maintenance upon completion.

“Our major concern is what we’re going to have to maintain,” commission chairman Lynne Oharah said, pointing out the county may not have the funds to keep up with another asphalt road.

Petrowski said there is one section of access road that will be asphalt, due to its need for curbing and gutters to help with drainage. Petrowski said he would pass along the commissioners’ request for it to be gravel, but added he did not believe the plan could be changed.

“Anything’s better than what we have right now,” Oharah said of the overall project, saying he currently does not feel comfortable driving that highway at night.

Work has begun on the project, but Petrowsky said it has slowed because of the recent rains. The project is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 16, 2018, with cleaning, striping and other tasks fully completed by the following March. During that time, travelers should be alert to workers and shifting lanes, though two lanes will always be available.

“It’ll be a great highway for Bourbon County,” public works Director Jim Harris said.

Petrowsky said the continuation of the four lanes into Crawford County has been delayed indefinitely until the funding is available, despite the plans already being drawn.