
Category Archives: Submitted
Radio Auction Coming In February
Fort Scott Police Department Daily Report Jan. 29
Andrew Callahan To Play In Shrine Bowl
Mercy Partners With WIC

More Bourbon County families are getting the food and resources they need to be healthy due to a new collaboration between Mercy Hospital Fort Scott and the Crawford County Health Department, which provides Women, Infants and Children (WIC) to Bourbon County.
In October, the Crawford County Health Department partnered with Mercy to bring WIC counseling services for pregnant women and new mothers to the hospital. Personnel from the health department meet with new and ongoing clients the last Wednesday of every month at the hospital.
Additional clinics are held at Buck Run Community Center the first Tuesday and second and third Thursday of each month.
“Since starting the clinic at Mercy, we have seen the number of participants jump from three in October to 23 in December,” said Linda Timme, MS, RDN, LD, CBE, nutrition services coordinator at Crawford County Health Department. “This validates the significant need for continuing WIC services and other services for families in the Bourbon County area.”
The goal of the partnership between Mercy and the WIC clinic is to ensure families have access to supplemental food, nutritional education and other vital health care and social services.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) website, WIC serves 53 percent of all infants born in the United States.
Statistics for Bourbon County demonstrate the importance of offering WIC services to the area residents. For example, the number of babies born at a low-birth-weight (less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces) is on the upswing, despite the national numbers declining.
Additional research by County Health Ranking and Roadmaps show families in Bourbon County are more likely to have limited access to healthy foods and lack a steady and reliable source for food than families in other areas of the country.
The idea of merging WIC with Mercy originated from the Healthy Bourbon County Action Team’s Healthcare Pathways Subcommittee.
“Our focus is to take care of the whole person—including the social determinants of health, said Jody Hoener, LBSW, MBA, Mercy Clinic quality and community benefit liaison. “Before offering the WIC clinic at Mercy, pregnant women at Mercy’s Maternal and Infant Clinic found it difficult to make it to both their prenatal appointment and their WIC appointment due to work schedules and limited time off or finding transportation. We didn’t want these mothers to have to choose between eating healthy food or receiving prenatal care.”
Mercy dietician Sherise Beckham, MS, RD, LD, hopes the collaboration will help moms by connecting them to services in one location.
“We’re hoping Mercy can provide a one-stop-shop for mothers to access great obstetric care, prenatal/postnatal education and all the resources WIC has to offer them,” Beckham said. “Many of the mothers we see in the maternal and infant clinic also participate in WIC so it seemed a natural fit to begin a working relationship between WIC and Mercy. As a dietitian, I hope this will help eliminate barriers for these mothers to access nutrition education. I hope this collaboration will reinforce the importance a healthy diet and lifestyle is for them and their children.”
WIC’s target population is low-income, nutritionally at-risk pregnant women, breastfeeding women, non-breastfeeding postpartum women, infants, and children up to their 5th birthday.
For more information about the monthly WIC clinic at Mercy, contact Jody Hoener at 620-223-7029.
Golf Course Advisory Board Meets February 1
Governor Issues Proclamation To Pray And Fast Jan. 30
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback on Friday issued a proclamation declaring Tuesday, January 30, 2018 a “Day of Prayer and Fasting” in Kansas, and issued the following statement:
“President George Washington, in his 1795 Proclamation for a Day of Public Thanksgiving called on Americans “to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God and to implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experience.””
“I personally feel blessed by the time I have spent serving our great state and would like to observe a time of prayer and fasting before God takes me on to the next part of my journey. I invite all Kansans to join me as we pray for our state and our nation.”
This is Governor Brownback’s final proclamation signed as Governor of Kansas.
Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Jan. 29
Bourbon County Commission Meeting Agenda Jan. 30
11:00-11:15-Justin Meeks-acquisition of real property
12:00-1:30-Commissioners gone to lunch
2:00-Review deposit process for R & B Accounts
Tax sale/timeline
Health Insurance dept. head meeting update
Petition on drugs
Response from landowners about rock quarry
Fire Districts
2:30-Employee Handbook
1st District is Lynne Oharah,2nd District-Jeff Fischer,3rd District-Nick Ruhl, County Clerk-Kendell Mason.
Justifications for Executive Session:
Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel
Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship
Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency
Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships
Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property
Matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system
Try These New Vegetables In 2018
New Vegetables to Try in 2018 by Krista Harding, District Agriculture Extension Agent, Southwind District. Call 620-244-3826, cell: 620-496-8786
Each year, the All-America Selections (AAS) tests and introduces new flowers and vegetables to home gardeners. These plants have proven themselves to do well in trials across North America. The AAS winner label is like a stamp of approval.
The vegetable descriptions were taken from All-American Selections material.
Corn, Sweet American Dream – with its excellent germination, very tender, super sweet kernels, this newbie will make a great addition to the home garden. American Dream matures slightly earlier than the comparisons and produces vigorous, healthy plants with cobs that have good tip fill of bi-colored kernels. Plants grow 6-7 feet tall and mature in 77 days after planting the seeds. It is perfect fresh, roasted, grilled, canned or frozen.
Pak Choi, Asian Delight F1 – Asian Delight F1 Pak Choi (or Bok Choy) is a Chinese Cabbage that outperformed the comparisons by leaps and bounds. This Pak Choi did not bolt like the comparisons, even weeks after other varieties went to seed. That means the yield from this AAS winner can be double or even higher than that of other Pak Choi on the market. Asian Delight forms small to mid-size heads that have a tasty, tender white rib and dark green, textured leaves.
Pepper cayenne, Red Ember F1 – this pepper winner won judges over by being earlier to mature than the comparison varieties. Red Ember produces a large number of rounded end fruits on durable, medium-sized plants. Judges described the thick-walled fruits as spicy, but tastier than the traditional cayenne, with just enough pungency for interest.
Pepper habanero, Roulette F1 – Routlette F1 resembles a traditional habanero pepper in every way (fruit shape, size and color, and plant type) with one exception – NO HEAT! The fruits are red with thick walls at maturity and have a nice citrusy (no heat) habanero flavor. This pepper is an early producer of large, uniform fruit and a very high yield.
Tomato, cocktail Red Racer F1 – this cocktail size tomato produces small, uniform fruits with a great taste. Cocktail tomatoes have a good sweet/acid balance and are a smaller variety tomato (although larger than cherry or grape tomatoes). These tomatoes are uniform in size and mature as a cluster of fruit. The compact determinate plants produced a huge yield 7-10 earlier than the comparisons. They are ideal for small spaces and container gardens. It is available in both organic and conventional seeds.
Tomato, Valentine F1 – hands down, the judges agreed this was the most appealing grape tomato they trialed. It has a deep red color and a very sweet taste. It held on the vine longer without cracking or losing the excellent eating quality. This tomato was quite prolific and matured earlier than the comparisons used for this entry. Valentine F1 is an indeterminate vine so it should be staked for best results. Tomato lovers will appreciate the sweet, firm flesh that is meaty enough to resemble a Roma tomato but in a smaller, grape-type fruit.
I will cover the 2018 AAS flowers in my next column. For a complete description of the 2018 All America Selections, visit www.all-americaselections.org.
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.
Zoning Consideration For Old Trailer Park
The Fort Scott Planning Commission will meet on Thursday, February 1st, 2018 at 4:00 p.m. at City Hall, 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas at 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas. This meeting will be held to consider a zoning change for the property more commonly known as 1907 S. Horton and 1920 S. Huntington. After the zoning part of the meeting, the Planning Commission will review the proposed Comprehensive Plan. This meeting is open to the public.
“New Faces, New Neighbors” Textile Art Display

Do you like art and history?
Come to Fort Scott National Historic Site (NHS) and learn the history of the site as told by art that was created by youth from across the United States and throughout the world.
The art exhibit, titled “New Faces, New Neighbors”, will consist of 60 different pieces of textiles.
The exhibit will be on display from Thursday, February 1 through Saturday, March 31, 2018. It will be located on the second floor of the Infantry Barracks Museum in the hallway next to the theater.
“New Faces, New Neighbors” is a theme that has resonated throughout the history of Fort Scott. Soldiers and American Indians found themselves as new neighbors and had to face many challenges and adaptions along the way. During the Bleeding Kansas era, conflict evolved among neighbors, as the topic of slavery became an issue that divided the town of Fort Scott and Kansas Territory. During the Civil War, Fort Scott saw new faces as American Indians and African Americans enlisted to fight for the Union Army. In addition, Fort Scott became a place of refuge for many people of diverse backgrounds. Caring for these refugees provided an opportunity for the town’s residents to work together for a common cause. After the Civil War, more new neighbors came to Fort Scott with the railroads as the town transformed into a regional trade center. This story of settlement and resettlement, promises made and broken, dreams built and shattered, and facing challenges with new neighbors can all be seen through the creative minds of youth in the “New Faces, New Neighbors” art exhibit. We welcome you to come join us and explore this amazing story of Fort Scott.
In order to create this wonderful art exhibit, Fort Scott NHS has collaborated with the International Fiber Collaborative (IFC), INC. based out of Topeka, KS. The IFC is a nonprofit organization that works to create deeper learning experiences through art and cross-curricular themed-based programs. The IFC also promotes programs designed to link arts to science, math, engineering, and the humanities. For information, a schedule of events and other projects associated with the IFC can be found at https://ifcprojects.com.
About the National Park Service. More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America’s 417 National Park Service areas and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.







