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Mauriel Whisenhunt helped her grandfather, Clyde Brooker, when he was homebound and had edema.
“I would massage his feet, arms, and back,” she said. “He was the first who said God has given me a gift.”
This prompted her to begin a career in massage therapy.
Whisenhunt’s massage therapy is pain management, she said.
“I do pain management,” she said. “Everybody is different, I work to accommodate what the body may need.”
Whisenhunt said she is grateful for her clients.
She said many in the business don’t make it.
“Longevity in massage is five years,” she said. “It’s hard work.”
“I have so much gratitude for the personal relationships with people, watching client’s kids grow up, working in hospice,” she said. ” I have so much overwhelming gratitude. Every place I have been, it’s God’s timing.”
She is constantly learning, even after 20 years.

“There is so much new coming out about science and massage,” she said.
Her constant challenge is trying to help people get out of pain and helping them with pain management, she said.

Whisenhunt has been a massage therapist for 20 years.
Last year, she moved her business, Bodyworks and Wellness, to Uniontown, where she lives.
“COVID (the pandemic of the last year) prompted me to open shop in Uniontown,” Whisenhunt said. “I think all small businesses had to reshape their business plan.”
“We were told by the (Kansas) governor that we couldn’t work,” she said. “I was quarantined five times, two weeks each time from different places of contact.”
“When you can’t work, you have no income,” she said.
She and her husband, Rick, live in Uniontown and in addition, own a large building there.
“We revamped a small portion of his hobby space,” she said.
The building is located at 104 Sherman, just off Uniontown square. For an appointment call 620-224-7251.

The Jayhawk Wind power project is progressing in Bourbon County.
The following is an update from Julianna Pianelli, development manager for Apex Clean Energy, based in Charlottesville, VA.
Q: Will you give an update on the progress of the wind power farm in Bourbon County, KS?
A: “Construction is underway; we are currently installing access roads and recently completed the laydown yard (located off Highway 39, west of Highway 3), where our core project staff and job trailers will be located. We are now beginning to excavate the foundations for the wind turbines.”

Q: Who is the contact on the ground here in Bourbon County?
A: “The construction site manager for Apex is Tharon Anderson.”
Q: Are there still jobs available and what is the contact?
A: “IEA, the project’s contractor, would have information about job openings and other construction-related information. Please come to the construction office at the laydown yard located near the Highway 39 and Highway 3 junction for more information.”
Q: When will we start to see them going up?
A: “The turbine components will begin arriving on-site at the end of July, and the erection will begin shortly after that.”
Q: When will it be completed?
A: “ The anticipated completion date is in Q4 (fall) 2021.”

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to a Chamber Coffee and Ribbon Cutting ceremony this Thursday, June 10th at 8 a.m. to celebrate the tenth-year anniversary of Sharky’s Pub & Grub in the Downtown Historic District at 16 N. National Avenue. Coffee, juice and light refreshments will be served. Enter your name for a prize drawing.
Owner’s Dave and Tina Lipe celebrating 10 years of Sharky’s in our community. Join us at 8 am this Thursday to celebrate and thank the Lipe’s and staff for all they do to provide a great dining & event venue for our community.
Contact the Chamber of Commerce at (620) 223-3566 for more information.
***

SEK Multi-County Health Department lead nurse, Alice Maffett BSN, RN, is retiring after 20 plus years.










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In a collaboration with local business owners, the Bronson Locker has started a Saturday shop day and is inviting local vendors and the public.
The street in front of the locker at 504 Clay Street, Bronson, is the venue and the dates are every other weekend: June 5th and 19th, July 3rd and 17th, and 31st, and Augusta 14th and 28th.
“The purpose of the sale is to bring local vendors and the community together to shop and support local,” Mandie Ericson, one of the sponsors of the event. “And It’s a way to bring the community together in general.”
“What this last year has taught us is that we are a strong country and small business in America is vital and the backbone of America,” she said. ” We want to keep pushing local vendors and small businesses.”
“For some people, (the COVID-19 Pandemic) negatively impacted them with a lack of farmer’s markets or events to sell at, so we want to attract more people into Bronson as well as help other vendors in need.”
“We are looking for more vendors to make this grow,” Erickson said. “We plan on continuing this every year!”
“Bronson is centrally located so we are trying to bring people in from Allen and Bourbon county to take advantage of our location being surrounded by small towns,” she said.

In a previous column entitled “Successful Small Towns”, I listed the 11 common factors held by towns eluding the negative growth megatrends, noted by researcher James Fallows during his 55,000 mile travels around the USA. One of those factors listed is “Local Patriots”. Who are those leaders who keep the town moving toward progress? Who are the straws that seem to stir every drink?
In the last 20 years, we have seen American leadership gradually transition from the “Greatest Generation”, to the “Silent Generation, to “Baby Boomers”, and now to Gens X, Y, and Z. In many cases, this transition has not been smooth. All these generations tend to view the world and our country much differently, and sometimes the gens have devolved into competing camps and conflicts.
We have seen these types of lively battles in various communities in Bourbon County, playing out in commission rooms and conferences rooms everywhere. Many of us have witnessed loud encounters between commissioners with diverse priorities, critical citizens, organization board members and trustees charged with the public trust. Uncomfortable. Discouraging. It gives us a feeling that our communities are not doing very well.
I disagree. We have so much going for us! I believe that Bourbon County and our towns are on the verge of a leadership surge that will pave our way to progress. We have a unique opportunity to create a common vision of success, bringing together the list of generations, including past, present and future leaders to set aside personal agendas in favor of the common good. We need the wisdom of age and the energy of youth to unite behind the investments that will make our communities better. We need to start trusting each other again.
How do we bring this to reality? First, civic leaders of the past have to come out of retirement. We need you! Current leaders need to expand their vision to be more inclusive, and more young people need to take the personal risk to get involved in setting goals for our communities.
It is human nature to battle for scarce resources when the population drops and assets dwindle. We become fearful and retreat into “every person for themselves” mindsets. When we invest our time, talent and treasure toward the common good, instead of our own narrow interests, it is risky and we become vulnerable. These are risks Local Patriots are willing to take.
Step forward. Invest your resources. Suggest, LISTEN, and seek understanding. Drop your grudges. Don’t assume. Don’t yell! Pursue the common good. I believe we can create a plan for our communities to resist the megatrends that are impacting virtually every small town in America, and make BB a more attractive place to live and work.
I leave you with a quote from the One who I consider the greatest Teacher who ever lived: “…let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.” I encourage you to serve our communities with the resources you have.
CHAMBER-AFTER HOURS GRAND OPENING & RIBBON CUTTING REMINDER TO CELEBRATE LYONS REALTY GROUP
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
5:15 to 6:30 p.m.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members to a Chamber After-hours Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting as we celebrate the Lyons Realty Group establishing an office in the Downtown Historic District at 8 E. Wall St. The event will take place Wednesday, June 2nd from 5:15 to 6:30pm with the remarks and ribbon cutting starting at 5:45pm.
The team of Lyons Realty Group is excited to share their new offices and learn more about how they can help reach real estate goals of sellers and buyers.
Mark your calendars for an evening of networking, prize giveaways, food, drink and much more. There will be a $2 admission for the Chamber half-and-half drawing.
Contact the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce for more information at 620-223-3566 or [email protected].

Bourbon County Cars, a local used car dealer, is moving July 1.
“We’ve been looking for a place to buy on the highway, for several years,” Josh Jones, general manager, said.
“I wanted to own the building so we can carry more inventory,” he said.
“We are moving about 25 steps away to the south,” Dave Shepherd, president, and owner of the business said.
The current business location is 15 E. Huntington Blvd., the new location is 1810 S. Main Street, the recently vacated property of Pizza Hut.
“The location is a little better,” Shepherd said. “More inventory display area.”

Expanding
“We have started stocking newer inventory,” Shepherd said.
Along with expanding the inventory, to include newer model cars, the business also has added some additional financial services, Shepherd said.
“For customers who qualify, there will be financing rates as good as anywhere,” he said.
The business offers both in-house financing and outside financing, Jones said.
In addition, a new salesman has been hired, Jones said.
On The Horizon
Jones will take over the business, eventually.
“I don’t want to do this for the rest of my life,” he said. “Josh is somebody I trust….the goal is for Josh to buy it (the business).
Evergy Files Kansas Integrated Resource Plan
Inaugural Kansas filing mirrors Missouri as energy company
moves toward goal of net-zero carbon emissions.
KANSAS CITY, Mo., May 28, 2021 – Today, Evergy filed its first Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with the Kansas Corporation Commission. The plan prioritizes sustainability, reliability and cost competitiveness with retirement of 1,200 megawatts of coal-based fossil generation and the addition of 3,200 MW of renewable generation in the next 10 years.
“We’re on a journey to a cleaner energy future, while balancing the highest priorities of reliability and affordability for our customers,” said David Campbell, president and chief executive officer. “Our coal-fired fossil plants are now more flexible than ever and frequently operate as a backup to renewable generation sources. This flexibility allows us to adapt to real-time needs – running fossil plants more when renewable availability is low or customer demand is high. This measured transition toward more sustainable resource options maintains the reliability our customers need.”
The filing includes the same forecasted generation additions and retirements announced in April when Evergy filed its IRP with the Missouri Public Service Commission. The transition toward more sustainable energy sources advances Evergy’s goal to reduce carbon emissions 70 percent by 2030 (relative to 2005 levels) and achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2045, assuming technology, regulatory, and legislative enablers have advanced to facilitate this goal. Within the next three years, the company will retire its Lawrence (KS) Energy Center and add 700 MW of solar energy.
Continuing recent trends, Evergy expects its coal plants will run fewer hours as their energy is increasingly displaced by lower cost renewable resources. At the same time, the reliability challenges driven by the extreme weather of February 2021 demonstrated the value of dispatchable generation with fuel on the ground. The phased transition approach in the IRP provides Evergy the ability to adjust planned additions and retirements based on evolving market, technology, and policy dynamics. As the company’s older fossil-fueled plants near the end of their useful lives, Evergy will continue to responsibly manage these assets for the benefit of customers while allowing advancing and emerging technology to develop. Evergy will also continue its focus on people, offering opportunities for employees at retiring generation facilities to learn new skills and fill different roles at the company.
Today’s IRP is a triennial filing that establishes a clear implementation plan through the next triennial filing in 2024 and describes expectations for meeting longer-term customer energy needs through 2040. The Plan was developed through an extensive regulatory stakeholder process to meet the diverse needs of the company’s customers and communities. The IRP is central to Evergy’s Sustainability Transformation Plan (STP), the company’s strategic plan guiding decisions through 2024, and continues the company’s transition toward a more sustainable energy company. Click here to read Evergy’s 2021 IRP Overview and here to learn more about Evergy’s energy mix.
About Evergy, Inc.
Evergy, Inc. (NYSE: EVRG) serves approximately 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. 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.