Last night Fort Scott High School Boys Swim Team took on the reigning 6A State Championship team at Blue Valley West High School.
With only three swimmers they finished the night in third place as a team beating out DeSoto by one point.
Out of the six events swam, the Tigers earned six personal best times for the season.
Oliver Witt broke the 2:00.00 mark with a 1:59.09 in the 200 Freestyle and a 4th place finish. Oliver almost broke the 1:00.00 mark in the 100 Butterfly swimming a 1:00.14 and a 4th place finish.
Sam Mix took .58 seconds off his 50 Free for a personal best time of 24.67 and finished 8th out of 36 swimmers. Sam also PR’d in the 100 Breast taking almost 4 seconds off for a time of 1:20.60 finishing in 6th place overall.
Bobby Kemmerer swam his first State Qualifying time in the 50 Free with a time of 23.25 and a 4th place finish overall. Bobby also PR’d in the 100 Free with a time of 53.09 and a 3rd place finish.
“To say I am proud of the boys is an understatement,” said Angie Kemmerer. “They have consistently dropped time and show the heart of a Tiger with their competitive spirits. To have personal best times in every race demonstrates their drive and commitment to the only sport where a coach is always telling them not to breathe. The Swimming Tigers are building a strong tradition, one stroke at a time.”
The FSHS Boys Swim team continues their season next week on Tuesday in Coffeyville and Thursday at Buhler.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces participating retailers and restaurants will be offering a shopping promotion to celebrate
KANSAS DAY ~ TODAY ~ Friday, January 29th!
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Patrons wearing apparel with Kansas or Sunflower will receive 10% off their purchase.
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Participating stores will have a Kansas Day
poster in their place of business.
(See list below for participating businesses ~
there may be more participating with a poster
displayed that didn’t RSVP to the Chamber).
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Kansas Day commemorates The Sunflower State being the 34th state to enter the Union in 1861.
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The Chamber encourages shoppers to celebrate Kansas Day and thank a local store owner for doing business in our great state.
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In addition to this local shopping promotion organized by the Chamber, Kansas Tourism invites Kansans to Give a Toast to the Sunflower State on Kansas Day and post their own tribute to the
Stream Advisory Rescinded for Buck Run Creek, located East of Scott Avenue and West of 69 Highway in Fort Scott, Kansas
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has rescinded the stream advisory for the Buck Run Creek, along the area East of Scott Avenue and West of 69 Highway in Fort Scott, Kansas. Water samples show no health risk associated with the creek. Water contact in the river is now deemed safe.
“Jeremy brings to this position over a decade of public sector experience,” according to the press release.
Frazier has managed cities of various size towns of from 1,800 people to his most recent in El Reno, Oklahoma, population approximately 20,000 people, according to the release.
He will earn $115,000 per year plus benefits as the new city manager.
The following is from an email interview with Frazier.
Why did you pursue your career? Was there someone who inspired you?
“I chose to pursue city management as a career because after graduating from college and landing a position with a great company, I found myself financially secure but unfulfilled and lacking passion within my organization.”
“So I put serious thought into what I enjoy, how I could serve others, and how I could create lasting changes in the lives of others. I knew that I felt a calling to public service but was unsure as to how best to execute it. After all, I knew very few public servants at the time.”
“Fortunately, I met some great public servants through the Oklahoma Municipal League such as Missy Dean and the City Management Association of Oklahoma which include Tim Rundel, Eric Benson, Jason Orr, and many others.”
“While the opportunity that I desired did not materialize immediately, I stayed close to the industry and received encouragement from various industry professionals for which I had great respect and admiration.”
“Finally, a few years later, I was offered an opportunity to serve in a small community of 1,800. There the city manager felt it important that I learn every position and task from code enforcement to billing and collections and public works. At the time I did not appreciate these lessons as I thought I was hired to be more of an administrator, in my mind.”
“In hindsight, this was the best learning experience that I could have ever asked for and I’ve been hooked on public service every since, building upon my knowledge and skills with each community that I’ve served.”
“Now I look forward to bringing my passion for public service, skills, and knowledge to serve the community and residents of Fort Scott.”
What affiliations/community involvement interests you outside of your employment?
“I have served as a board of trustees appointee to a local university, worked closely with local volunteer organizations to perform community projects, served as a member of local civic organizations such as Toastmaster’s International and the Lions Club, and was active with local government organizations such as the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), Oklahoma Municipal League (OML) and the City Management Association of Oklahoma (CMAO).”
“I hope to be active in similar organizations in the state of Kansas. I might also find interest in local home building or restoration non-profits such as Habitat for Humanity and others.”
Frazier said he has been married “nearly 15 years to a wonderful woman and mother and I have two young boys.”
Brian Allen works as a teacher’s aide in an automotive technology class at Fort Scott High School. Because of a special interest in history, Allen sponsors the high school history club that meets monthly.
He is also president of the Bourbon County Historical Preservation Association.
Because of this love of history and wanting to create interest in the students, he started telling stories of local murders during a period of the late 1800s in Bourbon County.
“I started researching stories for the high school kids in history club (at the school) and found that they liked a good murder mystery or story,” Allen said. ” I did 30 years’ worth of short stories and asked Fred Campbell (a local historian) to proof-read it for me. When he finished he insisted that I have it published.”
“The name of the book is Murder and Mayhem, and covers Bourbon County murders that occurred between 1868 and 1898,” he said.
“I never thought about doing it, but (Campbell’s) enthusiasm pushed me to go ahead and look into it,” he said. “This is the first book I have had published, but I do have three more manuscripts completed and am working on a fourth.”
“It was published in December of 2020 and was printed by SeKan printing here in Fort Scott,” he said. “Don Banwart designed the cover, and I included a photo of the original courthouse on it. It took me about a year to write it as it was never my original intention to publish it. It is available at the Hedgehog Ink as well as the (Fort Scott) Chamber of Commerce.”
Hedgehog INK is a bookstore at 16 S. Main and the chamber is located at 231 E. Wall.
“My future books will be about World War 1, a second murder book, and other crime and punishment stories in Bourbon County,” he said.
Allen also volunteers as a member of the Fort Scott Street Advisory Committee.
He graduated from FSHS in 1985 and graduated from Fort Scott Community College.
Allen is married and has three children and four grandchildren.
Jennifer Yarsulik, Broker/Owner of Stutesman’s Action Realty, founded the business in 1992. Stutesman’s Action Realty was established on honesty, professionalism, treating all people fairly, and providing the absolute best service in the area.
Chamber Members & Guests are welcome
to make any announcement for $1 to the Chamber about their business or organization including events, new products, promotions, or any other specials!
Call the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce 620.223.3566
Upcoming Chamber Coffee Schedule
February 4th “OPEN” Call the Chamber to schedule
February 11th hosted by Sunshine Boutique
February 18th “OPEN” Call the Chamber to schedule
February 25th hosted by Ascension Via Christi ER Dept. celebrating 2nd yr in FS, Drive-Thru Chamber Coffee
March 4th “OPEN” Call the Chamber to schedule
March 11th “OPEN” Call the Chamber to schedule
March 18th hosted by Briggs Auto of FS – Celebrating Birthday week Anniversary (6 years)
The January meeting of Starlite FCE was held on January 21st at the Yeager building at the Fairgrounds. President Glenda Miller called the meeting to order and Joyce Allen led the members in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the Club Collect. Eleven members and one guest were in attendance. The members reported seven hours of volunteer work and that they had recycled three hundred and eighty pounds of paper. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved.
Doris Ericson presented the Treasurer’ report and reminded us to bring in our Best Choice labels. Glenda Miller reported that the County Council had cancelled the Spring Tea for this year due to Covid. She also went over the information presented in the FCE newsletter.
Old business consisted of the Valentines for the Tri-Valley clients. Cards were signed by members and placed in treat bags. Letha Johnson moved that the person in charge of event be given authority to purchase items for said event and receive reimbursement out of the club account. Del Parks seconded the motion, motion carried.
It was announced that Lois Williams a longtime previous member had passed as well as Del Parks brother. Megan Brillhart announced that Presbyterian Village residents have received their first round of Covid shots and that they should be able to start getting out in about six weeks.
Glenda Miller presented members with unity valentines and a trivia quiz on Kansas in celebration of Kansas Day January 29th.
Joy Miller presented the lesson to the club of “Taking a new look at Fermented Foods.” Fermented foods include sauerkraut, wine, kimchi, sour dough bread and yogurt, to name a few. Joy also passed out troubleshooting guide on fermentation, Information about the upcoming Aging with Attitude Regional expo and Dining with Diabetes online classes.
Deb Lust moved that the meeting be adjourned, Jackie Warren seconded the motion, meeting adjourned. After the meeting the members enjoyed cupcakes, cookies, M&M and water provided by Jackie Warren and Deb Woods.
Tedena Tucker, a senior branch office administrator in the Fort Scott office of the financial services firm Edward Jones, recently announced her retirement after thirty years of service with the firm.
Tucker’s retirement becomes effective February 26th, 2021. Don Savage will replace Tucker.
“When I joined this firm thirty years ago, I knew I was making the right decision,” said Tucker. “Now I can say that I truly enjoyed working with the people of this community in helping Jamie Armstrong serve their financial needs.”
A branch office administrator is responsible for the daily operation of an Edward Jones office. This includes providing top-notch client service, supporting marketing activities for the office and staying updated on technological advances.
“Tedena has been my right arm,” Armstrong said. “Not only has she been responsible for the daily operation of our branch, but she has worked closely with our clients.”
To celebrate Tedena’s contribution to the clients served by Armstrong’s branch office, the branch is hosting a “card shower.” Clients, friends and colleagues are invited to send a retirement card to Tedena at the branch, located at 1713 S National, Fort Scott, KS 66701 between February 1 – February 25th, 2021.
Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in St. Louis, provides financial services in the U.S. and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm’s business, from the investments offered to the location of branch offices, caters to individual investors. The firm’s 19,000-plus financial advisors serve more than 7 million clients with a total of $1.5 trillion in client assets under care. Visit edwardjones.com or the recruiting website at careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC.
There is a new mayor and president, and city manager for the City of Fort Scott in the past week.
Josh Jones was selected to replace JoLynne Mitchell on the Fort Scott City Commission on December 1, 2020.
Jones became the mayor on January 7, 2021, with Kevin Allen selected to be president, according to the City of Fort Scott commission minutes. Allen was sworn in on Jan. 2020 to the commission.
The other city commissioners are Randy Nichols, Pete Allen, and Lindsay Watts.
New to the community is Jeremy Frazier, who was selected as the new city manager late last week.
The City of Fort Scott has operated under a city commission/city manager form of government since 1975, according to City Commission | Fort Scott, KS (fscity.org) . The city commission consists of a mayor, president of the commission, and three city commissioners. All members of the city commission are elected at-large on a non-partisan basis by the citizens of Fort Scott. The mayor, the president of the commission, and the city commissioners all serve without any compensation.
The Fort Scott City Commission elects the mayor and president of the board annually at their first meeting in January, according to the website.
The mayor, who has the same authority as the other commissioners, presides over the commission meetings, provides the official signature on documents, and represents the city at official and ceremonial functions. In the absence of the mayor, the president of the commission fulfills the duties of the mayor, according to the website.
The duties of the commission are to pass city ordinances and resolutions, establish policies for the city, approve the annual budget, appoint members to city boards and appoint a city manager.
A little about Jones
Jones owns rental houses in Fort Scott and also manages Bourbon County Cars, a local used-car dealership. He is a life-long resident of Fort Scott.
He has been married to his wife, Karen, for 20 years and has twin daughters, Madison and Taylor, who are 20 years old, and one son, David, 15.
A little about Allen
Kevin “Skitch” Allen was selected last week to be the president.
Allen has had a local construction company for 27 years in Fort Scott.
“Everything from construction dirt work to trash roll-off services and porta-potties,” he said. “I also own several buildings and homes in the community that I rent out.”
He is a 1988 Fort Scott High School graduate. He then attended Fort Scott Community College for two years and then earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Pittsburg State University.
He has two daughters, Maddie Thorpe and Jocie Allen, and two granddaughters and a grandson on the way, he said.
The commission hired a new manager last week.
“The commission unanimously selected Jeremy Frazier to be hired as city manager of Fort Scott,” Jones said. “All five commissioners believe Jeremy is the best fit for Fort Scott and we are very excited to utilize Jeremy’s vision and ideas to move Fort Scott forward.”
Jeremy Frazier. Submitted photo.
“Jeremy will start February 1st and (Interim Manager)Jeff Hancock will leave February 3,” Jones said. “Jeff’s leadership and knowledge have been very valuable in the short time he has been here.”
Also new is the sharing of business services with the Bourbon County Commission.
“With the new makeup of the city commission and the county commission we feel like now we have the opportunities to save taxpayers money by sharing services,” Jones said.
“This will be a case by case basis, so we can evaluate each item and come up with what we believe will save the most money for taxpayers. By joining into an agreement with the county on the Finance/Business Manager need, it will save the city roughly $40,000 per year.”
The City of Fort Scott Finance Director Susan Bancroft was hired by the Bourbon County Commission last week to be its’ business manager, part-time.
The City of Fort Scott meets at 6 p.m. the first and third Tuesday of each month in the city commission meeting room at 123 S. Main.
Stream Advisory Issued for Buck Run Creek, located East of Scott Avenue and West of 69 Highway in Fort Scott, Kansas Residents and animals should not enter the Creek at this time
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a stream advisory for the Buck Run Creek, along the area East of Scott Avenue and West of 69 Highway in Fort Scott, Kansas.
The stream advisory is a result of a manhole overflow due to heavy rainfall. The city of Fort Scott has repaired the problem and the overflow has ceased as of Monday afternoon.
The advisory has been issued because potential elevated bacteria and contaminants may be present in Buck Run Creek as it flows northward through residential areas to the Marmaton River. If you live or have activities near this stream, do not enter the stream or allow children or pets to enter the stream.
Kansas Department of Health & Environment will rescind the advisory once flows recede and subsequent bacteria testing indicates secondary (wading) contact has been deemed safe.
For further information, please contact at the city of Fort Scott, Michael Mix at 620.215.6319.
Tedena Tucker Announces Retirement
