Tag Archives: featured

Business, Fort Scott

Home and Garden Show Draws Crowds

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The annual Home, Sport, Farm and Garden Show hosted by KOMB-FM drew in large numbers of people to visit booths set up by more than 60 vendors at the Arnold Arena at Fort Scott Community College.

Visitors were able to gather information of local businesses and organizations, such as The Butcher Block, the City of Fort Scott, Redbud Nurseries and Skitch’s Hauling and Excavation, among a large number of others. Drawings for prizes were also held throughout the day.

Simultaneously, FSCC held a children’s fair on campus, with students as well as others such as the Fort Scott police and fire departments participating in games and other events for the children.

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Mercy Hospital: Weight Watchers and Infant Loss Service

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Submitted by Tina Rockhold

Weight Watchers Open House at Mercy Hospital

If you have wanted to lose weight, or maintain your current weight, consider joining Weight Watchers.

On Wednesday, April 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott’s Concetta Room, Weight Watchers will host a public open house.

No pre-registration or fee is required for this come-and-go event. Participants can sample Weight Watchers food, view products, learn more about the program, hear success stories and register to win door prizes. If someone likes what they see at the open house, they might consider joining the group.

Weight Watchers holds weekly meetings on Wednesdays at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott. Weight-ins are from 11:30 a.m. – noon, followed by a meeting from noon – 12:30 p.m. A Weight Watchers monthly pass is required to attend the ongoing meeting.

“Weight Watchers offers a holistic approach to weight loss,” said Jana Dalrymple, Weight Watchers leader. “Participants benefit from the support group-like setting and proven techniques that motivate and encourage healthy weight loss and long-term success.”

For more details about Weight Watchers at Mercy, call Mary Wynn, Mercy Infection Prevention and Employee Health nurse at 223-2200 ext 2198.

Infant Loss Remembrance Service

If you or your family has been impacted by pregnancy loss or the loss of an infant shortly after birth, Mercy wants to offer you a time for reflection and comfort.

You are invited to come find support and healing at an Infant Loss Remembrance Service on Saturday, April 22, at 2 p.m. at the St. Mary’s Cemetery located west of Fort Scott on Locust Road.  Anyone in the community or surrounding area who has suffered this type of loss is welcome to attend.

Our time together will include a short service and time of prayer, plus a balloon release with opportunity for participants to write messages to those children being remembered.

In case of rain, the service will be moved to Mercy Hospital’s McAuley Conference Center.

For more information, contact Mercy Chaplain Tyler Whipkey at 620-223-8481.

Bourbon County

County Commission Looks over Highway 69 Plans

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During a work session held Wednesday morning, the Bourbon County Commission met with Kansas Department of Transportation employee Darrin Petrowsky to look over plans for the Highway 69 widening project and ask questions.

The commissioners looked at plans for the six-mile project in Bourbon County, specifically asking questions about new and existing access roads. Commissioners said they had received questions from residents asking if they would still be able to access or cross the highway at existing points, and Petrowsky said they would.

Commissioners also asked how those roads would be paved, with gravel or asphalt, since they will be given to the county for maintenance upon completion.

“Our major concern is what we’re going to have to maintain,” commission chairman Lynne Oharah said, pointing out the county may not have the funds to keep up with another asphalt road.

Petrowski said there is one section of access road that will be asphalt, due to its need for curbing and gutters to help with drainage. Petrowski said he would pass along the commissioners’ request for it to be gravel, but added he did not believe the plan could be changed.

“Anything’s better than what we have right now,” Oharah said of the overall project, saying he currently does not feel comfortable driving that highway at night.

Work has begun on the project, but Petrowsky said it has slowed because of the recent rains. The project is scheduled to be completed by Nov. 16, 2018, with cleaning, striping and other tasks fully completed by the following March. During that time, travelers should be alert to workers and shifting lanes, though two lanes will always be available.

“It’ll be a great highway for Bourbon County,” public works Director Jim Harris said.

Petrowsky said the continuation of the four lanes into Crawford County has been delayed indefinitely until the funding is available, despite the plans already being drawn.

Opinion, Submitted

Patty LaRoche: Blessings in Disguise

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Wichita State. Kansas State University. Kansas University. All favorites of mine in the NCAA college basketball tournament. All with impressive records. All loaded with talent. And all failed to make the final four. They could have/should have and would have except for one thing—they didn’t. Until next year, I now would put away my lucky t-shirts bragging of my college loyalties.

Fortunately, that wasn’t the only game in town. The USA team prevailed in the World Baseball Classic, crushing Puerto Rico in the final game 8-0.

Go, America!!! Much better news from the baseball front.

Or maybe not. The next day, a friend explained that Puerto Rico is in economic shambles. Murders are rampant as are rapes and thievery, but all that stopped during the two weeks of the baseball tournament. The citizens unified…so much so that the country ran out of blonde hair dye as the locals copied the hair color of every player who, when introduced on the field, removed his cap and rubbed his yellow-tinted locks. For two weeks, Puerto Ricans relived every game, huddled in groups on corners to discuss each play their beloved team had made.

Not so much the United States. To most of us, it was another game, another evening of something to watch on television, filling our (YAWN) bored time.

Now I felt bad for Puerto Rico. They needed the win much more than we did. I had rooted against them, and now I thought differently.

I am good at that.

In the book “Alone With God: Rediscovering the Power and Passion of Prayer,” I had underlined what author John Macarthur wrote about the godly Old Testament Jews: “…their prayers encompassed the good of the community and were not isolated to the individual. For example, the rabbis asked God not to listen to the prayer of a traveler. That’s because he might pray for an easy journey with good weather and accommodating skies when the people in that vicinity actually needed rain for their crops.”

Laura Story made that warning personal when she wrote the song “Blessings” (one of my favorites) after her husband was diagnosed with a brain tumor and her prayers seemed to go unanswered. She begins by listing all the things we pray for—blessings, peace, comfort for family, healing, etc. Then we hear this chorus:

“…what if your blessings come through raindrops?

What if Your healing comes through tears?

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You’re near?

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?”

Oh, to count the number of times I have prayed selfishly without considering the bigger picture! And when I don’t get what I want? I forget that God’s answers many times expose my sins and fears and show up, uninvited, as loss, sorrow, conflict and disappointment.

Isaiah 55:8—“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.

You can say that again. And again. And again.

The message was a slam-dunk. God must be a Tar Heels’ fan.

Bourbon County

Home, Sport, Farm and Garden Show Prepares for Visitors

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Starting Friday evening, visitors to and residents of Bourbon County are encouraged to visit the Fort Scott Home, Sport, Farm and Garden Show hosted by KOMB-FM radio in the Arnold Arena at Fort Scott Community College.

“It’s a fun event,” Tim McKenney said during Thursday morning’s Chamber Coffee hosted at FSCC. “It’s a neat way for all these vendors to meet folks.”

The event has been held since the 1980s, with the broadcasting company running it for the past six years. McKenney said they are grateful to both FSCC and the City of Fort Scott for their support of the event that draws in hundreds of visitors.

This year, 63 vendors will be present, including local businesses such as Ruddick’s Furniture and Briggs Auto Group as well as other products such as Scentsy.

The show begins Friday, welcoming visitors 5-8 p.m., and will be open again Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. A number of giveaways will be awarded at different booths throughout the weekend.

On Saturday, FSCC will simultaneously host a community children’s fair from 9 a.m. to noon, and will include a number of games and other activities such as a teddy bear clinic, a bounce house, carnival and minute-to-win-it games and hair styling by cosmetology students.

Bourbon County, Submitted

From the Capitol: Adam Lusker

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This Week on the House Floor

It was a busy week on the House floor, as we passed multiple bills. Some of these are listed below. You can find more about this week in the House here: http://kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/chamber/house/journals/2017/3/.

HB 2273: an act concerning consumer protection; relating to the Kansas no-call act; restricting use of automatic dialing-announcing devices.

SB 36: an act concerning the state corporation commission; relating to motor carriers, definitions, registration.

HB 2047: an act concerning the office of inspector general.

HB 2306: an act concerning the Kansas sexually violent predator act; relating to examinations; transitional release; conditional release.

SB 112: an act concerning crimes, punishment and criminal procedure; relating to evidence; videotaping of certain felony, custodial interrogations; domestic battery; creating the crime of aggravated domestic battery; controlled substances; unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia; burglary; expungement; arrest records.

H Sub for SB 40: an act concerning human trafficking and related crimes; creating the crimes of unlawful use of communication facility, promoting travel for child exploitation, internet trading in child pornography and aggravated internet trading in child pornography; relating to training for commercial driver’s license applicants; sexual exploitation of a child; buying sexual relations; commercial sexual exploitation of a child; offender registration; expungement of juvenile adjudications; victim compensation.

Sub SB 74: an act concerning persons needing assistance with cognition; relating to motor vehicle, placards, identification cards; state-issued identification cards and driver’s licenses.

H Sub SB 101: an act concerning crime victims; relating to protection orders; protection from abuse act; protection from stalking act; sexual assault evidence collection examinations and parental notification; the crime victim’s compensation board and claims for compensation.

SB 124: an act concerning the care of children; relating to the Kansas family law code; child custody, residency and parenting time; evidence of domestic abuse; relating to the revised Kansas code for the care of children; rules of evidence; admissibility of certain test results.

HB 2319: an act concerning abortion; relating to the women’s-right-to-know act; relating to certain physician information to be disclosed.

Medicaid Expansion Bill

Two weeks ago, the Kansas House passed a Medicaid expansion bill that would help cover more than 150,000 Kansans without insurance and aid our numerous hospitals and clinics whose budgets have been slashed multiple times over the last few years.

This week, the bill hit the Senate floor with the Medicaid expansion amendment, and passed. The bill was sent to Governor Brownback, who vetoed the expansion bill on Thursday morning.

The veto brought the Medicaid expansion bill back to the House floor later Thursday morning, where a debate ensued over whether to override the veto. In the end, the bill was tabled until likely next week. This means the debate will continue and the vote will occur when it’s reintroduced on the floor.

The bill was pulled from the table Monday morning. The override fell short by three votes with an 81-44 tally. It appears working poor Kansans will go another year without health care coverage, leaving the burden on those of us with insurance or the medical facilities that treat them. Our federal income taxes will continue to be spent in other states while Kansas will see more hospitals close.

We will have another newsletter out at the end of the week to wrap up 1st adjournment. The legislature will be out of session from April 7, thru May 1.

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I both value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 50-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-7698 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.

Fort Scott

Gazaway to be Fort Scott Tourism Manager

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During the Fort Scott City Commission meeting Tuesday evening, the city introduced the new tourism manager, Larry Gazaway.

Economic Development Director Rachel Pruitt said Gazaway, known as “The Voice of Fort Scott” through his local broadcasting career, described himself as a passionate person about arts and sports with extensive knowledge about the city and the county.

“We would be really hard-pressed to find anyone to match his skill set as well as his determination and knowledge for the county and city,” Pruitt said, adding he brings marketing experience as well. “We look forward to him being the voice of tourism and the face of Fort Scott, to lead us in a very important endeavor for the city.”

“I’m excited,” Gazaway said. “I just made one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make—leaving a job that I love, one that I had a great passion for—but I look forward to taking the passion that I have for this town, this community, and getting to market that to a very much larger area and hopefully bring some excitement to that.”

City Manager Dave Martin said Gazaway has a good relationship with the Fort Scott Area of Commerce and said he is a welcome addition to the city staff.

“Thank you very much for the opportunity and I promise I won’t disappoint you,” Gazaway said.

In recent months, the city leaders made the decision to move the tourism department away from the chamber of commerce and put it under the city’s direction. Gazaway is expected to begin working in the newly created position April 17, and is expected to move to an office at the chamber building after completing training at city hall.

Fort Scott

K-State Extension Provides Gardening and Preserving Courses

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With the arrival of spring and the growing season, the Kansas State Southwind Extension District Office is providing a number of workshops focusing on gardening and food preservation in order to educate those interested in learning about the subject.

Monday evening, the extension office hosted a workshop at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds on herbs. Hostesses of the event discussed the different types of herbs, how to grow them, the benefits of eating them and how to cook with them.

“You really can get creative with them,” extension district agent Kathy McEwan said of cooking with herbs.

Starting Thursday, the extension office will begin a series of classes called “Grow it, Prepare it.” Those seven workshops will be held in April, May and June and will include topics such as gardening 101, food preservation 101, jams and jellies, pressure canning, growing berries, container gardening and salsa.

A list of the class descriptions and registration deadlines can be found at http://www.southwind.k-state.edu/docs/2017%20Grow%20It%20Prepare%20It.pdf.

Other events will be offered by the K-State Southwind Extension District as well, including a course on controlling weeds on April 26, at the Neosho County Courthouse. The date was printed incorrectly in a recent release. Registrations are required by April 18.

Bourbon County, Business

Recycling Returns to Bourbon County

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After being in business in Bourbon County for less than a year, 4 State Sanitation continues to look for more ways to serve the county, this week adding recycling to its list of services.

Stock Photo from 4 State Sanitation

“Four State is ready to offer a public service that we’ve all been desperately asking for and needing for some time,” Fort Scott Economic Development Director Rachel Pruitt said during the recent Fort Scott City Commission meeting Tuesday.

Starting Monday, April 3, 4 State provides a drop-off point for recyclable items, including paper such as books and newspapers, aluminum, plastic items and even clothes and shoes. Other items such as glass or electronics may also be accepted in the future, but currently cannot be processed.

The items, preferably cleaned and sorted, can be dropped off at the 4 State Recycling Center located in the old Topco building at 600 N. Franklin Street each Monday and Wednesday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., and again from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

“We’re ready to go,” Taysha Meech of 4 State said during the meeting.

Meech said they encourage those interested in volunteering to help with the process to contact them.

“On behalf of the community… thank you very much for doing this,” City Manager Dave Martin said. “This is great.”

 

Bourbon County, Submitted

From the Capitol: Adam Lusker on Education and More

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Last Week on the House Floor

Last week, the House was busy passing numerous bills. The many pieces of legislation ranged on issues from technology to healthcare to agriculture. Find a few of these bills detailed below.

Sub HB 2331: An act concerning information systems and communications; creating the representative Jim Morrison cybersecurity act; relating to digital information security for Kansas executive branch agencies; establishing the Kansas information security office; establishing the cybersecurity state fund and cybersecurity state grant fund in the state treasury, creating the Kansas information technology enterprise.

H Sub for SB 60: An act concerning agriculture; relating to the Kansas department of agriculture; certain fees, authorizing the Kansas secretary of agriculture to collect a fee for processing paper documents.

SB 20: An act concerning financial institutions; relating to certain acts under the administration of the state bank commissioner.

H Sub for SB 51: An act concerning controlled substances; the state board of pharmacy; relating to scheduling of controlled substance analogs, controlled substances and new drugs; emergency scheduling.

HB 2313: An act concerning the Kansas lottery; dealing with lottery ticket vending machines; repealing the lottery sunset.

HB 2232: An act concerning adult care homes; relating to electronic monitoring.

SB 68: An act concerning health and healthcare; relating to hospitals; enacting the Kansas lay caregiver act.

HB 2353: An act concerning state contracts and purchases; relating to purchases of products and services from not-for-profit entities; employment of persons with disabilities.

School Finance

As most of you know by now, on Thursday, March 2, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled our current block grant unconstitutional. In addition, without a set dollar amount, the court ruled in favor of Kansas children. The court said that the legislature is not meeting the Kansas constitutional requirement to adequately fund public schools (Article 6 of the Constitution). Here is a link to the Kansas Constitution https://www.kssos.org/other/pubs/KS_Constitution.pdf, page 26, Article 6-Education. Thank God our forefathers had the foresight to protect the investment of educating our citizens in our state’s constitution.

It is our duty to provide equal and adequate education to all our youth. It makes no difference if they are born in Leawood or Arcadia, Goodland or Sublet. All Kansans have the right to a good education.

In the next few weeks we will come up with a new school finance plan. We must by June 30, according to the court’s deadline. The challenge will be a statewide plan that is acceptable by our most prosperous county. Johnson County is key to the new formula. A new proposal was introduced by Johnson County Representative Melissa Rooker and Shawnee County Senator Laura Kelly which is similar in many ways to the old school finance formula, in place prior to the block grants. It appears to meet constitutional muster and SEK would definitely be a beneficiary. While many Johnson County legislators support a plan that benefits the entire state and provides for an educated workforce in the future, not all are on board. There is an effort to keep Johnson County dollars in Johnson County. Regardless of the fact that we have a statewide economy, they remain narrowly focused.

Regardless of the fact that all our citizens statewide benefit from being better educated, they believe the most populous should benefit the most. Regardless of the fact that all corners of the state pay their fair share of income, sales and property tax for the greater good, some in Johnson County believe that the most affluent and populated county has no reason to be part of the greater good.

A better tomorrow is the great American dream. We have become the greatest nation in the world by investing in our future. For Kansas to stop now is to step backward. All good things come with a cost. A sound public educational system is the most important investment a state can make in its citizens. Failure to provide a better path leads down the wrong road. Bad things cost even more. Now is the time to put all of Kansas on the path to success. We know what works and how to get there. We must just do it and do it soon.

Read the Gannon Ruling on Adequacy here: http://www.kshousedems.com/school-finance-update.

Coming up in the Kansas Legislature

This week, the Medicaid expansion bill passed the Senate and has been sent to the Governor. [Governor Sam Brownback vetoed that bill Thursday, full statement can be found at this site: https://governor.kansas.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Medicaid-Expansion-Veto-Message.pdf]

Republicans in the Senate have said they will wait to act on an education finance formula until the House addresses it first. Conversations as to how to solve this issue are underway, with many ideas being introduced. A bill has been proposed this week in the Kansas House, and we expect action on that bill to begin this week.

A tax plan to restore the revenue in Kansas has not yet been enacted. Previously in the session, the House put forth and passed a tax bill, which then passed through the Senate. The bill essentially repealed Gov. Brownback’s “march to zero” tax experiment. The Governor vetoed the bill, after which the House overrode his veto. The Senate failed to override by just three votes. A new tax plan should be coming soon from the Senate side.

It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I both value and need your input on the various issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 50-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at (785) 296-7698 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. Additionally, you can e-mail me at [email protected]. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org

Fort Scott

Gunn Park Invites Community Members and Events

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With the arrival of spring and even warmer months to come, the city of Fort Scott encourages residents and visitors to take advantage of the amenities provided at Gunn Park.

“What an awesome park we have here,” City Manager Dave Martin said during the Chamber Coffee Thursday morning, when codes enforcement manager Rhonda Dunn spoke of the history of the park.

Dunn said she has heard that Gunn Park is the largest, city-owned park in the state of Kansas, with 155 acres that include two lakes, seven shelter houses, a number of playgrounds, a disc golf course, dog park, trails and the Marmatton River.

In the early 1900s, Gunn Park was privately owned land and only Fern Lake existed, with a wooden pavilion building and the remainder of the current park property being used as farmland. According to records, the park was frequently used by the community who came for swimming, diving, boat rentals and five cent trolley rides.

William Gunn, who found success in real estate and invested greatly in Fort Scott in the early 1900s, purchased the land and gave it to the city, with records quoting him as saying he believed the park should belong to the city and should always be free to visitors.

“We are the benefactors of an incredible gift,” Dunn said of Gunn’s gift more than a century ago.

Since accepting that gift, the city has maintained the park as well as made a number of changes. Dunn encourages businesses and residents to consider Gunn Park when planning for events such as parties or family reunions, adding she would like to see the community present at the park more frequently.

Those interested in reserving one of the shelter houses, two of which now have heating and air, can contact city hall.

Opinion

Patty LaRoche: Called to Listen

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No matter how squeamish you are, I recommend you see the movie “Hacksaw Ridge.” Even though the war scenes are graphically gruesome—I closed my eyes—the message to rely on God far exceeds any blood-and-guts cinematography.

If ever someone’s Christian convictions dictated his decisions, it was Desmond Doss’s. In the opening scene, Doss is reading aloud from Isaiah 40:31: But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. That verse becomes his life refrain.

After joining the army to work as a medic in Okinawa during the bloodiest battle of WWII, Doss relentlessly defends his belief not to shoot a gun, kill the enemy or work on the Sabbath. (Hard to do in war, and especially difficult to convince your army buddies you deserve to serve alongside them.) Doss’s bunkmates despise him. As they practice their sharp-shooting skills, he reads his Bible. In their eyes, they are asked to protect a young, skinny medic who refuses to carry his fair load.

Because of that, Doss is beaten, persecuted and charged with “mental instability.” After arguing for his First Amendment rights—the freedom “to be like Christ: saving life instead of taking it”—he wins his court martial case and is allowed to go into battle.

Only when he is in a foxhole with Smitty, the soldier who led the bunkhouse assault against him, does Doss reveal why he abhors violence: as an adolescent, he had pulled a gun on his alcoholic father who was beating his mother. The foxhole partners soon realize they have many things in common. As a friendship is formed, the Japanese attack.

In the ensuing battle, Smitty is killed. The American soldiers are forced to abandon the area, leaving their wounded behind.

Doss desperately pleads with God. “What do you want of me? I don’t understand! I can’t hear you!” At that moment, Doss hears a cry from a wounded soldier. His answer has come. Doss stands, says “Alright,” straps on his helmet, and as his fellow soldiers retreat, walks back into battle. Alone.

That scene plays out multiple times as Doss begs God to allow him to save “just one more.” Each time, as an injured fighter cries out, Doss belly crawls to follow the voice of the wounded. Exposing himself to heavy gun and mortar fire, he drags severely injured men to the edge of the ridge, ties a rope around their bodies and lowers them to the waiting medics below.

Because of Doss’s bravery and faith in God, he is able, over a twelve-hour period, to save 75 wounded comrades. This courageous action and others earn Doss America’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor, the first ever given to a conscientious objector.

Doss had begged for an audible voice from God; instead, he received his answer amidst the cries of the desperate people around him. So what are we to take from this?

If we want to hear God’s voice, maybe it’s as simple as paying attention. To our neighbors. Our friends. Our families. Our enemies. Just like God called Doss to do the impossible, perhaps he wants the same from us.

The question remains: Are we interested enough to listen?