COVID-19, Fort Scott, Schools

Books and Reduced/Free Food Application Added to USD 234 Food Distribution

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USD 234 Board of Education Building, 424 S. Main

USD 234 continues to distribute food in the district to its students during this time of the COVID 19 pandemic, and parents are encouraged to fill out applications for free and reduced meals for the next school year.

There will be a book distribution and the free and reduced food applications will be handed out in preparation for next school year on April 27 during the food distribution.

“We do have two items that will be in addition next week,” Gina Shelton,  USD 234 Business Manager/Board Clerk, said.

“First, on Tuesday, weather permitting, we will be distributing to kids books donated by Hedgehog INK and the (Fort Scott) Kiwanis,” Shelton said.   “We know the importance of kids continuing to read and this way they have a ‘new to them’ book to keep their interest.  We will be encouraging parents to read with their kids.  What a beautiful gift to our kids.”

“Second, also on Tuesday, we will be handing out free and reduced applications,” she said. ” The benefit to this school year is that sometimes there are programs where the agencies request a letter from the school of that status.  The true benefit is next school year.  The application includes a 30-day carry over to the next school year so if a parent’s financial status has changed, and we have seen those, they would start the next school year with that status.  This might provide some help as it relates to paying for a child’s meal.  Those that may not have qualified in the past may qualify now.”
FOOD SERVICE ROUTES REGISTRATION
(UPDATED 04/23/20)
Help us Help You. We need our families to register to pick up meals. This provides us better information to help us prepare for the numbers being served. You will need to fill out a form for each day.
Where to Register?
www.usd234.org
Deadlines
For Monday, April 27th Meals – Deadline is noon, Friday, April 24th
For Tuesday, April 28th Meals – Deadline is noon, Monday, April 27th
For Wednesday, April 29th Meals – Deadline is noon, Tuesday, April 28th
Questions we will be asking:
1. Will you be picking up meals?
2. Where will you be picking up meals?
3. How many children aged 1-18 will you be picking up meals for?
4. Adult contact name?
5. Adult contact phone number?
This form should take you no longer than 1 minute to fill out. We need you to complete the form for each day you will be picking up meals.
Distribution Schedule
USD 234 will be doing three (3) distributions the week of April 27th. Children will receive the same amount of meals for the week but will pick them up over 3 days. We will need you to register for each day.
Monday – Child will receive 2 meals per child
Tuesday – Child will receive 4 meals per child
Wednesday – Child will receive 4 meals per child
Questions??
Call or email Kerrie at 620-223-0800 or [email protected]
USD 234 FS Week of April 27th – Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
FOOD SERVICE ROUTES (UPDATED 04/23/20)
BUSES WILL STOP AT THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS.
BUSES WILL BE AT EACH-IN TOWN LOCATION FOR 10 MINUTES AND THEN MOVE TO THE NEXT LOCATION.
ROUTE D AND ROUTE E WILL DISTRIBUTE MEALS AT EACH STOP AND KEEP MOVING.
USD 234 will be doing three (3) distributions the week of April 27th
Children will receive the same amount of meals for the week but will pick them up over 3 days.
Monday – Child will receive 2 meals per child
Tuesday – Child will receive 4 meals per child
Wednesday – Child will receive 4 meals per child
ROUTE A
1. St. Mary’s– 10:00 am
2. 8th & Burke– 10:15 am
3. 4th & Couch– 10:30 am
4. 5th & Judson– 10:45 am
5. Wall & Judson– 11:00 am
ROUTE B
1. 8th & Wilson – 10:00 am
2. 5th & Wilson – 10:15 am
3. 2nd & Andrick – 10:30 am
4. 1st & Cameron – 10:45 am
5. Pine & Caldwell – 11:00 am
ROUTE C
1. Emmert & Beach– 10:00 am
2. 1900 Margrave (Church of Christ)– 10:15 am
3. 15th & Ransom– 10:30 am
4. 17th & Crawford– 10:45 am
5. 19th & Huntington (CCC)– 11:00 am
ROUTE D
1. Devon Fire Station – 10:05 am
2. Fulton Community Center – 10:30 am
3. Hammond Community Center – 10:45 am
ROUTE E
1. Indian & 187th Terr. (Airport)– 10:00 am
2. 69hwy & Deer (Faith Church)– 10:25 am
3. Jayhawk & 240th– 10:50 am
Register using Google Form: USD 234 COVID-19 Food Service.
Form can be found at www.usd234.org or call 620-223-0800. You must register for each day you want USD 234 to provide meals.
*There will be NO distributions on Thursday or Friday
*Please maintain social distancing recommendations of 6 feet between individuals.
SCHOOL DRIVE THRU PICK UP
10:00 am – 11:00 am
High school- 9th street*
Eugene Ware- 4th street*
*Please remain in your vehicle and maintain social distancing recommendations of 6 feet between individuals.
DROP OFF INCLUDES BREAKFAST AND LUNCH. CHILD MUST BE PRESENT TO RECEIVE MEALS. IF YOU HAVE DIETARY RESTICTIONS, PLEASE NOTIFY THE BUS ATTENDANT.

 

Obituary

Obituary of Renea Gress

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Renea Lynn Gress, 37, of Fort Scott, passed away Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at her home.

She was born June 17, 1982 in Kansas City, Kansas the daughter of Wesley Allan and Colene Janette (Summers) Gress.

Renea is Survived by her Father, Wes Gress, two sisters, Andrea Weak of Pocahontas, Illinois and Stephanie King of Pittsburg, Kansas, two nephews, Levi and Kyran Weak, and her boyfriend Neal Fishback. She was preceded in death by her Mother, Colene Janette Gress who passed away on January 15, 2020.

The family suggests memorials to the Diabetes Foundation, contributions may be sent to, or left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall St., P.O. Box 309, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com

Funeral arrangements for Renea Gress are incomplete and will be announced later by the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home

Opinion

What To Learn From The COVID 19 by Patty LaRoche

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Patty LaRoche

After this Covid-19 virus passes, I hope we learn a few things.

I hope we learn the importance of saving. Proverbs 21:20 makes that clear. The wise store up choice food and olive oil, but fools gulp theirs down. According to Bankrate.com, more than one in five Americans don’t save any of their annual income. For those who do, twenty percent have put back only five percent or less of what they make. What would have happened if our government had not bailed us out? My widowed mother raised three of us on minimum wage. The first check she wrote each month was her tithe. If she did not have enough money to purchase something, we went without, including a television and a car. We rented until she saved the cash to buy a home. She never had a credit card. Had this virus hit when we were young, we probably would have been much better off than some of my friends’ families….you know, the ones with the beautiful homes, the Country Club memberships, and a huge amount of credit card debt.

I am grateful that we live in America where Uncle Sam is looking after us. My Hispanic friend from Mazatlán recently sent an email sharing that, since the Mexican government is doing NOTHING to bail out businesses or individuals, people are figuring out ways to help each other. This is what she shared: “Buenos Dias Sra Patty…By the fishermen monument, there is an area where are many little boats called pangas. The fishermen took their nets and went to the ocean, they got so many fish, a lot and they asked people to take it to eat. This was wonderful. At the department stores, there is a table with a note. If you need something take it, if you could donate something leave it. I saw people taking two things off the table. I love to see it too. By my place 3 days ago a lady was passing by yelling.Tamales, 2 per person for free. Senora Patty, this kind of things make my heart feel good.

Proverbs 6:6-8 encourages us to learn our saving habits from the lowly ant: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.” The Bible has much to say about saving. For one, our money is not ours; it is God’s. In times such as this, how nice would it be to be able to help our neighbors because we had “stored” some provisions and not lived above our means? Instead, I’ve met too many Americans who save only to have a cushy life when their working days are over. A leisurely “Retirement” becomes their payoff, yet even Jesus admonished the person whose goal was to save in order to have a comfy life instead of taking care of real needs as a thank-you for God’s provisions.

In Luke 12: 16-21, Jesus shares this parable: The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, “What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?” And he said, “I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” But God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

Retirement for Christians should not be self-centered. It should be the time when we devote ourselves to serving others with our time and resources.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am grateful that we live in the United States where businesses can be saved and families can eat because of the bail-out. I just hope that when this virus is over, we all might rethink our financial priorities and learn from the lowly ant…the wise, working, lowly ant.

Fort Scott, Government

Fort Scott Street Advisory Board Committee Members Sought

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Please see the following Board openings:

This is for the newly formed Fort Scott Street Advisory Board Committee:

  • Seven (7) openings (Six (6) City residents – One (1) County resident in the three mile limit)

The function of the Fort Scott Street Advisory Board Committee is to provide suggestions to the City Manager and Governing Body regarding road improvement projects throughout the City of Fort Scott. When submitting your letter/email of interest, please provide any specific knowledge or training you have that would compliment you being a member of this board. If you have already submitted a letter of interest, you will be contacted by the Clerk for more information.

If you have a desire to serve on this board and meet the above requirements, please submit a letter of interest to the City Clerk, Diane Clay, 123 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. These names will be submitted for consideration to the City Commission. All of the boards and commissions serve on a volunteer basis and are not compensated. If you would like more information on this board, please contact Diane Clay, City Clerk at 620-223-0550 or [email protected]. Please submit your letter of interest by May 1st, 2020.

Government, Kansas

CARES Act – Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation Update

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CARES Act – Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) now live

 

TOPEKA – Kansas Secretary of Labor Delía García today joined Governor Laura Kelly in announcing that Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC), which provides an additional $600 weekly payment for unemployment insurance claimants, went live starting today. FPUC is part of the federal CARES Act, which is focused on expanding unemployment benefits in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

 

FPUC is a $600 payment made each week that is in addition to other unemployment benefits an eligible claimant may receive. FPUC is a limited time program. Individuals are eligible for the $600 payments from March 29, until July 25, 2020, if they are receiving Regular Benefits (State Unemployment), Shared Work, Trade Readjustment Assistance, Disaster Unemployment Assistance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation.

 

“If you are eligible, you will automatically receive the FPUC payment,” García said. “You do not need an additional application. We will also be paying the additional $600 to individuals who were eligible and filed their weekly claims. The retroactive payments for prior weeks after the law went into effect on March 29, 2020, will be following soon.”

 

“This is welcome news for unemployed Kansans who need assistance immediately,” Kelly said. “We also recently shared details on our push for regulation and possible legislation to ensure our emergency responders and healthcare workers have access to workers compensation coverage, and we also announced implementation of the Legislature’s expansion of benefits to up to 26 weeks. With the $600 additional payments from FPUC now live, we have made progress in a variety of ways needed to help many Kansans.”

 

For more information, or to apply for unemployment benefits, go to www.GetKansasBenefits.gov.

Government, Kansas

National Emergency Triggers Disaster Food Distribution

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DCF Partners with Local Agencies to Distribute Food to Local Communities

National emergency triggers disaster household distribution program

Editors note: see the fortscott.biz story on this subject and where the local distribution sites are by clicking below:

https://fortscott.biz/news/federal-emergency-food-assistance-coming-for-those-affected-by-covid-19

 

The Department for Children and Families along with its community partners is distributing food to Kansans as part of the disaster household distribution program. The program is triggered when a national emergency is declared.

 

The program provides a variety of canned meats, vegetables, fruits, rice, dried beans, peanut butter and in some cases frozen meats and fresh milk. The food is being distributed to impacted households through DCF’s existing network of Emergency Food Assistance Program or TEFAP agencies.

 

There are no income restrictions for the disaster household program. Anyone in need due to the COVID-19 pandemic may receive a food package. The program is first come, first served. Quantities are limited.

Distributions are expected to last through May 6.

 

To find a distribution site nearest to your community see the list of sites at: http://www.dcf.ks.gov/services/ees/Documents/Food_Distribution_Programs/TEFAP%20Distribution%20Sites%20by%2 0County.pdf

 

Fort Scott, Schools

FSHS New Basketball Coach: Clint Heffern

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 Clint Heffern, 26, was hired by Fort Scott High School to be the new head basketball coach, high school social studies, and physical education teacher.
Heffern has spent the last three years teaching and has been an assistant football, basketball, baseball coach at St. Mary’s Colgan in Pittsburg, KS.
He graduated from Iola High School in 2012, Allen Community College in 2014  where he played basketball and baseball, and then Pittsburg State University where he graduated in 2017.
 Chuck and Linda Heffern are his parents.  He has an older brother Chris, and a younger brother, Colton.
His interests are sports, being active, getting outdoors, and hunting.
How did you become an educator?
“My mother was my sixth-grade math teacher, so early on that kind of influenced me. Then, I had several great teachers and coaches along the way that were great role models for me and helped guide me into education.”
Is there someone who inspired you to teach?
“My mother and my coaches growing up. I knew that I wanted to stay involved with sports after high school and teaching/coaching seemed like a good platform to do what I love.”
What is the best part of teaching for you?
“The relationships with the kids. Being with the kids every day, you build some pretty solid relationships with them. It is really cool to experience the ups and downs of life with them and see how they grow into great young adults.”
Clint Heffern coaching St. Mary’s Colgan basketball. Submitted photo.
What are the greatest challenges?

“Being with the kids every day, oftentimes you do see the good along with the bad that they experience as high school kids. It is challenging to see them experience the bad times because some of those bad times can be very difficult for the kids to navigate as high school kids. But, ultimately, a lot of those bad times help shape them into quality young adults in the future.”

Bourbon County, Government, Health Care

SEK Multi-County Health Department Update April 23

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SEK Multi-County Health Departments

Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, and Woodson Counties

Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update

April 23, 2020

Allen County

Current Positive Cases 0
Current Recovered Cases 0
Total Positives Since Testing 0
Deaths 0

Anderson County

Current Positive Cases 0
Current Recovered Cases 0
Total Positives Since Testing 0
Deaths 0

Bourbon County

Current Positive Cases 0
Current Recovered Cases 5
Total Positives Since Testing 6
Deaths 1

Woodson County

Current Positive Cases 1
Current Recovered Cases 4
Total Positives Since Testing 5
Deaths 0

Recovered cases are based on dates of onset of symptoms, not on day testing results are received.

Total positive counts changed in Bourbon and Woodson, because one case was living in Bourbon County, but a resident of Woodson County. This person has recovered and was listed as so last week.

Government, Kansas

Kelly Waives Some Medical Requirements, Loosens Alcohol Carryout

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Governor signs two Executive Orders as part of her administration’s ongoing COVID-19 response

 

Governor Laura Kelly today signed two new Executive Orders to help the state’s ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Executive Order #20-26 temporarily waives physician supervision or collaboration requirements for certain medical licensees, including advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants and licensed practical nurses.

 

“These are qualified health care professionals who provide safe, high-quality, routine care to Kansans on a daily basis,” Kelly said. “They diagnose illnesses, develop and manage treatment plans, prescribe medications and work in numerous medical settings and fields. Temporarily easing some regulatory measures will help give doctors more capacity to focus on COVID-19 patients.”

 

The order permits registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, who hold a license that is exempt, inactive or has lapsed within the past five years to provide medical services appropriate to their qualifications.

 

The order also allows out-of-state health care providers to practice in Kansas, if necessary, without a Kansas license, but only if they are in good standing in their home state.

 

Through the order, health care providers assisting the state in its response as coordinated by the Kansas Division of Emergency Management will be covered by the liability protections of the Kansas Emergency Management Act.

 

“Addressing those broader challenges is not something I can, or should, do on my own through executive action,” Kelly said. “I encourage the Kansas Legislature to explore how we can adjust current statutes to better enable our doctors and nurses to adequately protect both their patients and protect themselves from liability as we adjust to a ‘new normal’ in the coronavirus era.”

 

Executive Order #20-27 allows the sale of alcoholic beverages for carryout consumption and permits the sale of liquor in a container that is not the original container for any establishment holding a class A club license, class B club license or drinking establishment license.

 

“I understand how many Kansas restaurants rely on the sale of alcoholic beverages,” Kelly said. “My administration is doing all it can to ease the burden on Kansas employees and their families who have lost income due to this crisis.”

 

The sale of alcoholic beverages for carryout consumption is subject to the following requirements:

 

  • It must be legal for the establishment (the licensee) to sell alcoholic liquor;
  • Each container of alcoholic liquor must have been purchased on the licensed premises;
  • The licensee or the licensee’s employee must provide the patron with a dated receipt for the unfinished container or containers of alcoholic liquor; and
  • Before the container of alcoholic liquor is removed from the licensed premises, the licensee or the licensee’s employee must place the container in a transparent bag sealed in a manner that makes it visibly apparent if the bag is subsequently tampered with or opened.

 

To view E.O. #20-26, click here.

To view E.O. #20-27, click here.

Bourbon County Local News