Apple pie, the one slice of Americana not sacrificed on the altar of political greed, is next.

When professional baseball decided to stick its rosined nose into Georgia’s legislative voting protocol, Dave and I both held our hearts and grieved. Okay, I held my heart and grieved. Dave had a few, choice, frustrated words, as did numerous baseball buddies of his era.

Major League Baseball’s hierarchy opted to remove this summer’s All-Star Game from Atlanta, Georgia…the same Atlanta where our son Adam began his professional career and our youngest son Andy played his first major league game.

Our family loves Atlanta and the people who work at Braves’ stadium. Many employees we met were black and were some of the kindest, most dedicated individuals we’ve ever encountered in pro ball. But because somebody’s MLBPAA feathers were ruffled over the biased voter I.D. being required in Georgia (which would somehow be “unfair” to blacks), the mid-season game was moved to Denver…you know, where 93% of the people are white (as opposed to Atlanta where 76% of its citizens are black). And that is “fair” to the black people…how? Apparently, professional baseball thinks it prejudicial to ask voters to show their I.D.’s. The same organization that has asked for my I.D. for the past…oh, say 2,000 professional baseball games when I pick up my tickets at the Will-Call window. So, apparently everything is fair game…well, except where the All-Star game will be held. Nothing in my generation is to be left untouched as politics has caused a drastic upheaval in the way our citizens are asked to view:

1. The American flag

2. The National Anthem

3. The military

4. Prayer in school and in the workplace and in church and at assemblies and ________

5. Gender identification

6. Our police

7. Illegal immigrants

8. Freedom of speech

9. Guns

10. Rights of the unborn baby

11. Protests

12. God

And now, America’s favorite pastime…baseball.

Lucky #13 on the list.

Which brings us back to the one “untarnished” of American symbols: Apple pie.

After all, when you think of that popular dessert, surely you think “discrimination.”

 

Why else would the ala mode topping be vanilla and not chocolate? Um-hmmm! And then there is the “Gala” apple. Who, I wonder, came up with such a defamatory name? Reason enough to relegate apples to the orchard graveyard, if you ask me. One thing is for sure. Apple pie cannot remain guiltless. After all, many believe that an apple was the fruit of choice for Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eden, leading to the fall of mankind. If that isn’t serious, I don’t know what is. And since Scripture is silent on the fruit, we might as well take matters into our own juicy hands.

Readers, call your Congressmen/women. Correction: call your Senate people and Representative people. Remind them that one bad apple spoils the whole barrel. They will know what you mean.

At the Bourbon County Commission meeting on Tuesday, April 6, the commissioners decided to continue following the federal Center for Disease Control guidelines requiring masks.

The community’s businesses, churches, and other entities can decide for themselves.

“We will continue requiring masks at the courthouse,” Commission Chairman Lynne Oharah said. “As far as the rest of the county,  the (Kansas) legislators overrode the governor’s (mask) mandate. It would be up to individual businesses and entities to determine whether or not they want to follow CDC guidelines.”

In county operations other than the courthouse, it will be up to individual elected officials to determine if they will follow the CDC guidelines, he said.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the CDC are still recommending people wearing masks when in public, practicing social distancing, practicing good hygiene, and staying home when sick, Rebecca Johnson, administrator at the Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Department, said.

Governor Kelly reissued the mandate until May 28, but the legislative council overturned the mandate, Johnson said.

The governor has not reissued mitigation protocols for schools, she said.

“But USD 234 had decided to continue to require masks,” Johnson said. “USD 235 has stopped requiring masks.”

 

Vaccines

The health department is continuing with offering COVID 19 vaccines in its’ office in Fort Scott.

“We do have the Johnson and Johnson vaccine available now,” she said. This vaccine is a one-dose.

As of Monday, April 5, the county health department has administered 2,022 doses of the Moderna vaccine.

Community Health Center and Walmart are also administering vaccines to the community, she said.

If interested in a vaccine, call the health department at 620-223-4464.

 

County Statistics of COVID-19

Johnson said there have been twenty-five  COVID-19 deaths in Bourbon County, statewide-4,927 deaths.

Bourbon County has had 1,347 cases of the virus, 303,227 in the state, she said.

According to the CDC website, there were no deaths from influenza in 2020-2021 in Kansas, Johnson said.

“I believe that is from wearing masks,” Johnson said.

“Flu season runs from September 1-May 31,” she said.  “According to CDC, 0 cases reported in Kansas, but I don’t believe all data has been submitted yet. ”

In 2019-2020, there were 118 deaths from influenza, she said.

 

 

Mona Lee Stern, age 92, resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Friday, April 2, 2021, at Country Place Senior Living in Ft. Scott.

She was born August 1, 1928, in LeRoy, KS, the daughter of Shot George and Oleeta Corwin George. Mona attended Aliceville, KS grade school and graduated from Westphalia high school where she was a cheerleader for four years. She attended Emporia State for two summers.

Mona taught for one year at Avandale rural school.

Mona married Donald Ray Stern on June 20, 1948, at Aliceville. They had three children, Tommy Lee, Gary Ray, and Donna Jo. Mona and Don moved to Ft. Scott in 1963. They purchased 40 acres and built their dream home, Don and Mona Ranch.

Mona worked for the Western Insurance Company and retired in 1993.

She enjoyed camping, fishing, playing cards, needlepoint, KU basketball, and cooking.

Following retirement, Mona and Don spent many winters in South Texas where she learned to create stained glass. They also enjoyed camping and fishing in Colorado and Canada.

Survivors include her daughter, Donna Britain and husband Roger; son Gary Stern and wife Pat; daughter-in-law Susan Stern; sister Patty Mathis; brother, Bill George and wife Mary; four grandchildren; and ten great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her husband Donald; a son, Tom Stern; and her parents, Shot and Oleeta George.

Private family burial will take place Tuesday, April 6^th, in U. S. National Cemetery, Ft. Scott.

Services are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main St., Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Keys to the Kingdom

Carolyn Tucker

 

I didn’t grow up in a home with a formal dining room, so when Jimmy and I built our house 40 years ago, we customized the original plans. Raised in the country, I changed the dining room into a utility room and opted for a big comfortable kitchen. Early in our marriage, we purchased an antique walnut drop-leaf table that would seat ten when expanded with two additional leaves. This table was in mint condition and beautiful.

There’ve been a few times when I’ve considered getting rid of the table and chairs because they’ve been run through the mill and have seen better days. But when I get right down to it, there are simply too many memories in that table. We’ve spent hundreds of hours sitting at that table praying, talking, laughing, playing games, and sharing meals with family and friends. Nope. The table stays — it just needs to be restored.

The other night I was praying and, after a few sentences, my own words seemed to fail me. I then began to pray the words of the young shepherd boy. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul. He restoreth my soul. He restoreth my soul.” I could not get past the revelation of what those four words meant. The definition of “restore” means to return something or someone to a former condition. Just like the kitchen table, some of us have some boo boos in our soul that need to heal.

The soul is our mind, our will, and our emotions. The soul processes our circumstances, thoughts, emotions, and decisions. God has made a wonderful promise that in tough times He will restore our soul back to its former joyful condition. God has a unique path designed for all His children. If we will allow Him to be our Shepherd, He’ll guide us by His Holy Spirit to complete restoration.

I memorized Psalm 23 either in Sunday School or Vacation Bible School. I’m thankful for the teacher that realized the importance of children memorizing this valuable chapter. “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11 NKJV). God’s Word is a powerful and precious gift to treasure. You can pull it out when you need it if it’s as close as your heart.

It’s interesting that David mentions a table later in the chapter: “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over” (Psalm 23:5 KJV). For me, the kitchen table represents happy times sharing food with those you love. Even though David was a mighty warrior and had enemies, God prepared a banqueting table for him. There was no worry or confusion even though his enemies were lurking just outside the door. Likewise, God prepares a table for us right in the middle of storms and sorrows and we can choose to sit down, rest, and eat as if everything is in God‘s hands.

The Key: If your soul has been run through the mill, give it to the Shepherd and He will restore it.

03-15-2021A

03-15-2021R

 

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) has placed a truck weight restriction of 20 tons on K-7, from K-47 at Girard north to K-39.   The weight restriction is the result of asphalt failure on K-7 within the city limits of Girard. The restriction is in effect until repairs can be made to the highway.

Persons with questions may contact KDOT Construction Engineer Kyler Farmer, (620) 308-7621, or Public Affairs Manager Priscilla Petersen, (620) 902-6433.

 

 

K-7 width restriction: www.kandrive.org

As the holiday season approaches, resist the temptation to taste uncooked batter or dough, no matter how delicious it might be.

You have probably heard it’s a bad idea to eat uncooked dough because it contains raw eggs. But raw flour can also make you sick and is not safe to eat until properly cooked. Bacteria can contaminate grains in the fields or throughout the grain transportation and flour production system. Flour from milled grain is typically not treated to kill bacteria.

What about cookie dough ice cream? Commercially purchased cookie dough ice cream should be safe because it contains heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs. Store bought cookie dough for baking, may not be the same and it is important to follow package directions when baking.

You might have licked cake batter or cookie dough from spoons lots of times with no ill effects, but some haven’t been so lucky. Food safety tips for preparing baked goods to keep your family safe this holiday season:

• Don’t eat uncooked dough, batter, or other foods containing raw flour or eggs.
• Cook or bake foods to proper temperatures and follow recipes or package directions.
• As with raw meat, keep raw flour or eggs separate from ready-to-eat foods.
• Clean bowls, utensils, countertops and other surfaces thoroughly after use.
• Wash hands often.

More Food Safety at https://www.southwind.k-state.edu/health-nutrition/

Follow us on Facebook @southwindextensiondistrict or Instagram @southwind_ext. For more information, contact Joy Miller at [email protected] or by calling 620-223-3720.

11-6-2020 to 11-10-2020