Around the county today, several programs to honor area military veterans were given by school children.
St. Mary’s Catholic School presented an outside ceremony Friday afternoon for veterans.
Kindergarten through fifth-grade students gathered outside near the school’s flagpole to sing patriotic songs, say the pledge of allegiance, say a prayer for the veterans and then gave each veteran who attended a piece of artwork they had made.
FORT SCOTT, Kan. (Nov. 10, 2017) – Mercy Hospital Auxiliary will host a book sale on Thursday, Nov. 16 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Friday, Nov. 17 from 7 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Mercy Hospital main lobby.
The book sale is the perfect opportunity to purchase gifts for holidays.
The two-day fundraising event will feature hundreds of books for all ages at exceptional savings. Soft back, hard back, and even coffee table books are available for purchase. Also for sale are stationary, music, home décor and items for the kitchen. Visa, MasterCard, Discover, and American Express are accepted. Mercy co-workers have a payroll deduction option, too.
The Mercy Hospital Auxiliary is a volunteer organization that raises money to benefit the hospital and provides scholarships for the nursing students at Fort Scott Community College.
Over the 12 years decade, Mercy Auxiliary has donated over $850,000 to Mercy Hospital for state-of-the-art equipment, supplies and upgrading of services for the patients’ benefit through vending machine sales, proceeds of sales in the Mercy Market Place gift shop, and other specialty sales. Collectively, auxiliary members volunteer the equivalent of almost 6 full-time co-workers in hours of service each year to the hospital.
Mercy Hospice and Konantz-Cheney partner to offer guidance
FORT SCOTT, Kan. (Nov. 8, 2017) – The holiday season can be especially difficult with the absence of a loved one. Mercy Hospice and Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home are co-sponsoring a “Coping with the Holidays” program on Wednesday, November 15 from 2-3:30 p.m. in the McAuley Conference Center at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott.
The educational program is open to the public and will offer guidance for those who have experienced a loss and offers tips on how to make it through the holidays without a loved one. Caregivers and family members are welcome.
Facilitators for the program are Melissa George, Mercy Hospice chaplain; LaShawn Noel, Mercy Hospice social worker & volunteer coordinator; and Mike Cheney, Konantz-Cheney director.
Refreshments will be provided by Konantz-Cheney. Registration is not required.
For more information, contact Mercy Hospice at 620-223-8533.
Mercy, named one of the top five large U.S. health systems in 2017 by Truven, an IBM Watson Health company, serves millions annually. Mercy includes 44 acute care and specialty (heart, children’s, orthopedic and rehab) hospitals, more than 700 physician practices and outpatient facilities, 40,000 co-workers and more than 2,000 Mercy Clinic physicians in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Mercy also has outreach ministries in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas.
The weather cooperated to make the annual Fort Scott Holiday Open House well attended Thursday evening. Shopping, eating, and visiting with friends and acquaintances were highlights of the event.
Submitted by Angela Bin
Fort Scott High School Thespians announces auditions for “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” for children in kindergarten through eighth grade. Auditions are from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13 or 14, in the high school auditorium.
Performances are at 2 and 7 p.m. on Dec. 9, and at 2 p.m. on Dec. 10. Rehearsals will mostly be from 5:30 until about 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday in the high school auditorium.
Roles include: Narrators, Grinch, Max the Dog, Cindy Lou Who, Lou Who, Betty Lou Who, Mayor of Whoville, Assistant to Mayor, Clerk, Shopper, Sue Who, Drew Who, Police Man and Whos. No preparation is necessary for auditions and actors only need to attend on one of the audition nights. Children will perform theatre warm-ups, read from the script, and sing and dance to a short song segment. The show is primarily a play, but does include two songs, including a solo from Cindy Lou Who.
Thespian Director Angie Bin will oversee the production with leadership from FSHS Thespians in all artistic director positions. The show serves as the major fundraiser for students attending the International Thespian Festival next summer in Lincoln, Neb. Those who are cast will have a $25 participation fee. Please contact Angie Bin at FSHS with questions.
Kansas Department of Transportation and Bourbon County Public Works have both been working on roadways south of Fort Scott.
People who use Calvary Road will soon have access again, according to Priscilla Peterson, Public Affairs Manager with the Kansas Department of Transportation District 4.
Cherry Grove Baptist Church sits at the intersection of Calvary Rd. and U.S. 69 Hwy. where the access is closed currently.
“Right now they are doing a re-route behind the church,” Peterson said. “If the weather is good, the Calvary Road access should be opened by the end of the month.”
KDOT personnel makes an effort to contact people before limiting access to a road, Peterson said.
The Calvary Road closure is part of the improvements being made to U.S. 69 Hwy.
The six-mile highway expansion to a four-lane upgradeable expressway, with access points, was started in March 2017 and is scheduled for completion November 2018, according to Peterson.
Two-way U.S. 69 Hwy. traffic is being maintained while building the new lanes, she said.
County Roads Converted From Asphalt To Gravel
Two county roads south-east of Fort Scott have been ripped up this year to eventually be improved, according to a county official.
Eagle Road between 69 Hwy. and 250th Street and 230th Street between Kansas and Jayhawk Roads were converted from asphalt back to gravel.
“This is part of a process,” Jim Harris, Bourbon County Public Works director, said. “We did several miles last year.”
“We turn it back into gravel, then our goal is to overlay on top in the spring,” Harris said. “We do a manual contraction, but leaving it over the winter helps with compaction.”
Exactly what improvements these roads receive is up to the Bourbon County Commissioners.
In March the Bourbon County Commission holds a public meeting annually to discuss the priorities for road repair and maintenance.
“We’ll have a work session on roads, ” Harris said. “I make recommendations about repair or maintain, the commission decides.It’s a public meeting. In March the road priorities are determined by the commission. They decide what roads we are going to reclaim.”
The gravel road has left at least one Garland area resident re-routing his travel.
“It’s so bad I don’t go down that way,” Raymond Kalm said. “It’s too rough and too dusty.”
With temperatures in the 50s and a sunny day after several cloudy November days, today was a great day to take advantage of the trails in the city’s park systems.
A few weeks ago the Fort Scott Police Department began wearing body-worn cameras.
“We upgraded to a system that has both body cameras and car cameras,” FSPD Chief Travis Shelton said. “We always had car cameras.”
“We budgeted for them, approximately $65,000, and received them about three weeks ago,” he said.
Each of the five FSPD officers will additionally have a spare camera for charging purposes, Shelton said.
The cameras were purchased to give several benefits to the police department, Shelton said.
“We can better document calls for service, there is officer accountability, better evidence collection, we can document crime scenes,” he said.
Shelton said body-worn cameras also:
In an emergency situation, when the patrolman turns on the car’s emergency lights, the body-worn camera automatically comes on, Officer Derick Burke said.
“It’s linked to the car camera,” Burke said.
No-shave November
The public may notice that some FSPD officers have beards, Shelton said.
In an effort to boost department morale, officers can grow beards this month, Shelton said.
“It’s ‘no-shave’ November at the Fort Scott Police Department,” he said.
The following are the unofficial results of the November 7, 2017 elections.
FSCC BOARD OF TRUSTEES: John Bartlesmeyer, 1,141; Elizabeth Meyer, 680; Tina Rockhold, 904; Kevin Wagner, 656.
USD #234 SCHOOL BOARD POSITION 4: Geoff Southwell, 418; David Stewart, 704.
USD #234 School Board Position 5: Gary Billionis, 922
USD#234 School Board Position 6: Jamie Armstrong, 953
USD #235 School Board Position 4: Brian Stewart, 242
USD # 235 School Board Position 5: Mike Mason, 241
USD #235 School Board Position 6: Tyler Martin, 255
FOR MAYOR BRONSON: Alan Stewart, 57; Lee Roy Whitcomb, 20
FOR CITY COUNCIL BRONSON: Clearsia Botts, 64; Geraldine Reeder, 61; Charlotte Stewart, 43; Kathaleen Stewart,29; Michael Stewart. 50
CITY COMMISSION FT. SCOTT: Cheryl Adamson, 439; Carol MacArthur, 329; JoLynne Mitchell,544; Robert Nichols, 632.
FOR MAYOR FULTON: No Candidate Filed
FOR CITY COUNCIL FULTON: No Candidate Filed, 45 write-ins
FOR MAYOR MAPLETON: No Candidate Filed, 7 write-ins
FOR CITY COUNCIL MAPLETON: No Candidate Filed, 11 write-ins
FOR MAYOR UNIONTOWN: No Candidate Filed, 26 write-ins
FOR CITY COUNCIL UNIONTOWN: No Candidate Filed. 30 write-ins
FOR SOUTHWIND EXTENSION DISTRICT: Ethan Holly, 761; Terri Williams, 1037
FOR MAYOR REDFIELD: Clarence “Ed” Guss, 20
FOR CITY COUNCIL REDFIELD: Michael Beerbower,30; Wilma Graham,17; Clarence “Ed” Guss,20; Kirby Martin, 31; Richard A. Smith, 25.
Submitted by Larry Gazaway
In observance of Veterans Day, the City of Fort Scott says, “Thank You”, by offering free tours of Fort Scott on Dolly the Trolley to our veterans and active duty service men and women.
The special free tours will be available this Friday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Veterans Day Saturday, tours will be given from 1 a.m. until 3 p.m. These 50 minute narrated tours take you down the historic brick streets of Fort Scott, past Fort Scott National Historic Site, U.S. National Cemetery Number One, Victorian homes and much, much more.
Tours begin and end at the Fort Scott Tourism Center located at 231 E. Wall in Fort Scott. Call 620.223.3566 for more information. Seating is limited. All tours are available on a first come, first served basis.
In 2015 Fort Scott High School students Gabrielle Allen, Olivia Houston, Austin Bolinger, and Morgan Stoughton, under the instruction of teacher Amber Toth, put together a proposal for renovating Bridal Veil Park.
The student project to renovate the park included playground equipment, a walking trail, some new lighting, four new picnic tables, 14 new trees, and benches, with a total cost of just under $75,000
It also included an analysis of the ongoing costs. The project was presented to the Fort Scott City Council.
With the recent discussion about the future of the park, the four students have graciously allowed us to share their proposal for the park. The proposal can be downloaded here.
Submitted by Valetta Cannon, Fort Scott Public Library Youth Librarian, and Assistant Director
Fort Scott Public LibraryTeen Advisory Group events for November:
November 8, 4-6 p.m., the teens will have their monthly games and snacks night in the library’s event room.
November 15, 4:15 – 5 p.m., the teens will create and share (if they want) creative writing short stories or poems. This will be the first teen creative writing night, in celebration of National Novel Writing Month.
November 29, 4:15 – 5 p.m. the teens will meet with at Common Ground Coffee for free treats while discussing this month’s Book Club story, “The Watsons go to Birmingham” by Christopher Paul Curtis.
