The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office reports can best be viewed on a computer.
Click on the links below, then click on the reduced size report, it should enlarge for viewing.
The Fort Scott Police Department daily reports can best be viewed on a computer.
Click the reports below, then click on the reduced sized reports, the reports should enlarge for viewing.
Continued from last week…
Beth loaded her two kids in her car and drove straight to the neurosurgeon’s office, imploring the receptionist to give her “just two minutes” with him. Between patients when the doctor walked out to see them, Beth stood Antonio on the floor. As the toddler walked clumsily towards the astonished doctor, Beth gave God all the credit.
Today, Antonio (Evan) Guckenberger majors in Exercise Science and is a wide receiver for the Taylor University football team. Because of his deformities as a baby, he was doomed never to walk again, yet today he is recognized for his speed and athleticism.
You’ve gotta smile.
At our retreat, Beth shared another story about a Monterrey, Mexico, orphanage that had run out of food. The kids showed up in the dining room for their evening meal but were told by their guardian that there was nothing to eat. He asked that they pray for God to send food, and just as they bowed their heads, a four-year-old boy raised his hand. “Can we pray for meat?” Surprised by the request, the guardian told him that God certainly was big enough to send meat. While bowing their heads a second time, the same youngster again raised his hand. “What about steak? We never have steak. Could we pray for steak?”
“Yes,” answered the guardian, unable to stifle a laugh. “If God wants us to have steak, we will have steak.” Meanwhile, across the city, unaware of the orphanage’s plight, Beth received a phone call from a stranger. He was in Monterrey for a meat convention that had just ended. (You probably can guess the rest.) The caller had a truckload of steaks he would like to give away, and “someone at the convention center” had given him Beth’s number, telling him of her involvement with the Mexico orphanages. If Beth could meet him, she could have the steaks.
Beth asked Todd, her husband, to drive downtown in his pickup “to load up some steaks.” Todd had questions. What did this man look like? What was he driving? How did Beth know this wasn’t a hoax? She had no answers. With little confidence this would have a happy ending, Todd drove to the destination given and was surprised to have the meat distributor waiting for him. In the meantime, Beth did what she did best: she prayed. If this is legitimate, which orphanage has the greatest need? Immediately the name of an orphanage came to mind, and it was there she had Todd deliver the steaks.
Can you imagine the looks on those kids’ faces when that pickup truck pulled into their driveway with its delivery? Even the guardian admitted he never expected prayer to have an answer of that magnitude.
We serve a God who is so much bigger than we take the time to know. We pray for little because we fail to recognize how much God loves us and wants to meet our needs. Jesus reminded us of that in Matthew 6:26. Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
I love how the young orphan’s first idea was to ask God for help. He didn’t cry because he was hungry. He didn’t suggest they hit the streets and beg for money. He didn’t need to.
He knew the bigness of his God.
“Things could always get better.”
At least that’s what Harvey Doe and his wife, Edna, tell a group of extraterrestrial educators in defense of the human race in Rich Orloff’s “The Whole Shebang,” the featured play in a night of one-acts, dubbed “Minimum Rage,” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Fort Scott Community College.
The program consists of five short plays to be performed in workshop style by the students in the FSCC theater department. There is no charge for admission, and some of the plays contain strong adult language.
“This is an actors’ showcase,” said Allen Twitchell, FSCC theater instructor. “By design, the sets and costumes are minimal in nature. I just wanted to provide the students an opportunity to perform on stage this semester before our big show in the spring.”
“Minimum Rage” also features guest director Tony Wagner and student directors Jackie Neher and Jared Oshel.
The plays are:
“Roommate Roulette,” by Twitchell, directed by Twitchell, with a cast of Erin Deatsch, Payton Boswell, Katelynn Coe, Ashley Lockwood and Ka’Si Gates.
“In the Meantime,” by Sharon Cooper, directed by Neher, with a cast of Sammy Jamison and Paulette Hays.
“Selling Johnny Depp,” by Alex Broun, directed by Twitchell, with a cast of Savannah Kratzberg, Connor Masters and Jared Oshel.
“Gas Mart Amendment,” by Nick Zagone, directed by Oshel, with a cast of Royce White and Baylee Whitmore.
And, “The Whole Shebang,” directed by Wagner, with a cast of Jesse Cooke, Connor Masters, Ashley Lockwood, Kartis Leal, Sammy Jamison and Jackie Neher.
Abby Cooke is assisting with the production.
Are you itching to get out of the house and do something productive in the landscape? If you have fruit trees, then now is the time to prune! A little planning ahead with fruit trees can mean big rewards later in the growing season.
Are you like many who are “afraid” to prune? Don’t be. When done correctly, pruning is an essential component of growing a healthy, productive fruit tree. Fruit trees should be pruned every year and for several reasons. The first is the development of a strong tree structure. Pruning should begin when the tree is planted and continued each year thereafter. Another reason to prune is the increased penetration of sunlight for the development of fruit buds and for the fruit to mature properly.
Trees can be pruned this early (winter) because they are dormant. This can be done in January, February and even early March. Pruning when trees are dormant makes it easier to see undesirable branches because leaves aren’t present. It is important to do any pruning before dormant sprays are applied, to avoid spraying some of the wood that will later be removed. Total spray coverage of limbs, branches, and shoots will be increased after pruning. Do not prune if temperatures are below 20°F because this can cause tissue damage.
Have your fruit trees been neglected for quite some time? If so, pruning can seem like an overwhelming task; where to start, how much wood to remove, etc. But a neglected tree can be revitalized.
The first step in revitalizing a neglected tree is to prune wood around the trunk area and near the ground. Remove all sucker growth around the trunk by cutting as close as possible to the point of origin. Next, remove all branches that hang below a 4-foot level. Prune them off at the supporting limb. Stand back and study the tree and decide the next cut to make. Retain scaffolds that are growing away from the tree center at wide angles with the trunk. Scaffolds are one of the main branches making the basic framework of a tree. They should be positioned on different sides of the tree for good distribution of the fruit crop.
The right tools are needed for proper pruning. Tools always need to be sharp so clean cuts can be made. Cuts that result in bark tears, stubs, or jagged surfaces are slow to heal and may even not completely heal. A scissor type of hand shear is used to prune small size wood, usually ¼ inch in diameter. Long handled loppers should be used to cut ¼ to ½ inch wood. These will need to be used generally by the third year of tree growth. For branches larger than ½ inch, use a fine-toothed pruning saw.
The Extension office has a publication titled, “Pruning Fruit Trees,” that explains in more detail how to prune depending on the age of the tree. It also has a section devoted to pruning different types of fruit trees. The publication has diagrams that demonstrate how and where pruning cuts should be made. As with most Extension services, this publication is free of charge.
If you would like me to evaluate your trees, give me a call and a home visit can be scheduled.
Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Agricultural agent assigned to Southwind District. She may be reached at 620-244-3826 or [email protected].
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
Westar Energy warns customers of electric company imposters.
Callers use the threat of disconnection to get immediate payment.
TOPEKA, Kan., Feb. 16, 2018 – Westar Energy is alerting customers that imposters claiming to work for the company are threatening to disconnect service and asking for prepaid cards as payment. Several customers have contacted Westar Energy’s Customer Relations Center after receiving suspicious phone calls.
Some imposters are very convincing. They may use websites that allow them to manipulate caller ID, making the call appear to come from Westar. They speak with authority. When the targeted customer calls the phone numbers provided, the person who answers sounds like they work for Westar. In some cases, callers may even provide information like amount due that makes them sound credible.
“Scammers create a sense of urgency to get customers to act quickly rather than allowing them time to check their account,” Gina Penzig, media relations manager, Westar Energy, said. “We will never require a pre-paid card for payment. Also, we notify customers multiple times in advance if service may be interrupted for non-payment.”
Before acting on one of these calls, check your records to see if a recent payment has been made. If you are still unsure, call our Customer Relations Center, 1-800-383-1183, and check your account status. More about identifying scams: https://www.westarenergy.com/scams If a customer receives a suspicious visit from an individual, he or she should also report it to their local law enforcement agency.
As Kansas’ largest electric utility, Westar Energy, Inc. (NYSE: WR) provides customers the safe, reliable electricity needed to power their businesses and homes. We have 7,800 MW of electric generation capacity that includes renewables and traditional power sources with half the electricity supplied to our more than 700,000 customers from emissions-free sources: nuclear, wind and solar, with a third coming from renewables. We are a leader in electric transmission in Kansas coordinating a network of lines and substations that supports one of the largest consolidations of wind energy in the nation. Our employees live, volunteer and work in the communities we serve. For more information about Westar Energy, visit us on the Internet at http://www.WestarEnergy.com.
Lt. Governor Tracey Mann will stop at Fort Scott Munitions, 423 E. Wall from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Feb. 15.
The newly appointed Kansas Lt. Governor is embarking on a statewide tour, including two stops in Southeast Kansas.
The Fort Scott Police Department daily reports can best be viewed with a computer.
Click here:
A good local health care system may itself be part of the prescription for maintaining a healthy rural economy.
In the year 2016, the healthcare sector accounted for an estimated 13.1 percent of Bourbon County’s total employment or about 1,246 jobs. In that same year, over one in four healthcare sector workers were employed at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott.
Those are just a couple of the finding published in a recent study by researchers at K-State Research and Extension and sponsored by the Kansas Hospital Association documenting the economic impact of the healthcare sector on a county-by-county level.
The report also noted that Mercy Hospital Fort Scott has a significant “ripple effect” or secondary impact on employment and income throughout other industries in Bourbon County. This occurs when the hospital’s employees spend their income locally for household goods and service. As dollars are spent locally, they are, in turn, re-spent for other goods and services.
For example, the 2016 study showed that Mercy Hospital’s 339 co-workers had an employment multiplier of 1.64. This means that for each job at the hospital, another 0.64 jobs are created in other businesses and industries in the county’s economy. The direct impact of those 339 hospital employees resulted in an indirect impact of 217 jobs (339 x 0.64 = 217) throughout all businesses and industries in the market area. Thus, the hospital employment had a total impact on area employment of 377 jobs (339 x 1.64 = 556).
Similarly, multiplier analysis can estimate the total impact of the estimated $28,493,000 direct income for hospital employees. According to the data in the 2016 study, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott had an income multiplier of 1.23, which indicates that for every one dollar of income generated in the hospital, another $0.23 is generated in other businesses and industries in the county’s economy. Thus, the hospital had an estimated total impact on income throughout all Bourbon County businesses and industries of $35,069,000 ($28,493,000 x 1.23 = $35,069,000) (numbers rounded)).
The study’s authors calculated economic multipliers for 13 healthcare sectors from dentists, to veterinarians, to home care services and estimated that health care services, directly and indirectly, accounted for 1,737 jobs throughout the county. Furthermore, they estimate that Bourbon County’s health care sector employees accounted for more than $75 million in total county income and over $21 million in county retail sales.
“As with most rural areas, the health sector in Bourbon County plays an important role in the economy,” said Reta Baker, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott president. “I think we tend to take our local health services for granted, just a little. We don’t realize how important health care is to the county’s economic well-being.”
That is exactly the point the reports are trying to get across, according to Dr. John Leatherman, an agricultural economist at K-State’s Office of Local Government and lead author of the report. He points out that access to affordable quality local health care services is essential to attracting and retaining local businesses and retirees.
“Research has shown time and again that local health care and education are two enormously important factors for economic development,” Leatherman said, “and both can be positively or negatively influenced by local action or inaction.” He said the local health care system has sometimes been the “tie-breaker” in industry location decisions and that retirees view quality local health care as a “must have” local service.
Tom Bell, president and CEO for the Kansas Hospital Association said, “Kansas hospitals are a critical piece of the economic engine in Kansas communities and a symbol of continued community cohesion. They are important not only for the healthcare services they deliver but for maintaining the overall economic vitality and viability of the communities they serve.”
Copies of the full report have been distributed and are available free of charge at the Kansas Rural Health Works Web site at: www.krhw.net.
Mercy Hospital Fort Scott is an acute care hospital with 46 licensed beds, offering comprehensive medical, surgical, OB/GYN, pediatric, home care and hospice services. Inpatient care is provided with 24/7 physician coverage. In 2017, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott received The Leapfrog Group’s prestigious A rating. Mercy Clinic Fort Scott is located on hospital grounds as well as Mercy rural health clinics in Arma and Pleasanton.
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.