Government, Kansas

Personal Income in Kansas Continues to Rise

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TOPEKA, KS –Governor Jeff Colyer M.D. on Wednesday highlighted a report that shows Kansas personal income rose significantly in the second quarter.

The report, released yesterday from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, showed Kansas wages increased by 4.7 percent, leading the seven states Plains Region.  Earnings increased by 6 percent in Kansas industries such as agriculture and professional business services. This increase puts Kansas at the 10th fastest income growth in the nation during the second quarter.

“It’s great to see Kansans taking home bigger paychecks as our economy continues to improve,” said Governor Colyer, “We have been hard at work in Kansas trying to attract higher value jobs to our state in order to grow our economy, and we are delighted to see earnings on the rise as a result of businesses investing more in our state.”

The full report can be found at the following link:

www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income-by-state

Business, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Weekly Chamber of Commerce Coffee at Family Dental Sept. 27

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WEEKLY CHAMBER COFFEE REMINDER
Join us for the weekly Chamber Coffee!

Hosted by:
Fort Scott Family Dental 
Sneak peek of their new location Downtown
at the corner of Wall & Main!
 
 Location: 2 N. Main St.
(enter through south door on Wall St.
next to Crain Insurance Agency)
Thursday, September 27th, 8am


Click here for Fort Scott Family Dental’s website.

Click here for Fort Scott Family Dental’s Facebook page.
Chamber members and guests are encouraged to attend for networking, community announcements, and to learn about the hosting business or organization.
Members may pay $1 to make an announcement about an upcoming event, special/sale/discount, or news of any kind.
Upcoming Coffees:
October 4th – Gordon Parks Museum
October 11th – Labconco 20th Anniversary
October 18th – Pioneer Harvest Fiesta
Bourbon County, Schools

Bourbon County Schools See Enrollment Increase

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September 20 is the headcount date for Kansas school districts.

The enrollment of a district is the number of students regularly enrolled at the district on September 20 of the preceding school year, according to the website: http://kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/documents/summary_sb_19_2017.pdf

Bourbon County public schools have noted an increase in enrollment, which means an increase in funding.

Fort Scott Community College President Alysia Johnston.
 

 

 

 

 
Fort Scott Community College

Fort Scott Community College enrollment is up around 1,000 credit hours from last year at this time, President Alysia Johnston said.  “15 credit hours (per semester) is considered full time.”

“We also report numbers based on Full-Time Equivalency (FTE); therefore, the 1,000 credit hour increase would be an FTE increase of 66,” Johnston said.

How does the increase in students benefit the school?

“It is hard to give you an exact dollar amount – as I’m not sure how many of the 1000 credit hour increase we would have provided tuition scholarships for; and if the credit hours were generated from in-district, out-district, or out of state,” Johnston said. “If I assume that 50% of the hours we gave scholarships for , and they were all in-district, it would be approximately an increase of around $80,000.”

“Our enrollment is up due to the great work our faculty and staff at FSCC do to ensure we meet the needs of our students and community,” she said. ” Their dedication, expertise in their area, and devotion to quality is reflected in our increased enrollment. Our focus is not just on growing enrollment, but maintaining and improving excellence in our programs and meeting student needs so they can be successful and reach their goals.”

USD 235

Bret Howard, superintendent of USD 235, Uniontown.

The Full-Time Equivalency (FTE) for Uniontown is 451 with enrollment of 458 students, Bret Howard, superintendent for USD 235 said.

“Unofficially we are up 6 (from last year),” Howard said. “We will still be audited by the Kansas State Department of Education and numbers can change slightly. Nothing is ever “official” until after the audit.”

“A school district receives $4,165 for each full-time equivalent (FTE),” Howard said. ” All Kindergarten through 12th-grade students are 1.0 FTE. A Pre-K student is funded at .5 FTE per student and each district has a cap determined by the KSDE. We are funded with 14 Pre-K slots or 7 FTE in Uniontown USD 235.”

“A district also receives weighted funding for At-Risk Students, Students on Free Lunch, Students who ride district provided transportation to and from school, etc,” Howard said. “A district budget has many different factors that make it up.”

USD 234

USD 234 Assistant Superintendent Nicki Traul.

The enrollment has also increased at USD 234, said Assistant Superintendent Nicki Traul.

Fort Scott Schools have seen an increase of 27 students from last school year.

In 2018-19 there are 1934 students, in 2017-18 there were 1907 students and in 2016-17 there were 1890 students, she stated.

 

 

 

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Entertainment, Fort Scott

Friday Night Concert in the Park, Sept. 28

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On Friday evening, September 28, the Concert in the Park (First and Main Street) show will feature a group of performers drawn from Allen, Bourbon and Linn Counties.

Some of the performers will be familiar to regular concert attendees while others will be making their first appearance. They are all very accomplished musicians and entertainers. The program will be similar to the one presented by this group last year that was very well received.

This is part of the Friday night concert in the park series sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce.

The performance will begin at 7:00 PM.

In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to the FSCC Round Room at 2108 S. Horton.

The concert is free to the public. Because of limited seating, you are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.

Fort Scott

Veterans Day Celebration Nov. 9-11

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Veterans Day Celebration

The first-ever Veterans Day Celebration in Fort Scott will be held November 9, 10, & 11 at various venues throughout the city.

The celebration begins on Friday night, November 9th at 5 pm with a reception for veterans at the Boiler Room Brewhaus. The reception is made possible by a generous donation from Peerless Products.

Saturday, November 10th, a special Veterans Day Program will begin at 10 am at Fort Scott Memorial Hall.

Special guests will include Gold Star Mother, Jennifer Jackman, Vice Commander of the American Legion Department of Kansas, Chuck Shoemaker, Commander of the American Legion Department of Kansas, Dan Wiley, and Kansas Senator from the 12th District, Caryn Tyson.

Other events on Saturday include a hospitality room for veterans from Noon – 4 pm at the VFW, special recognition of veterans at the high school musical at 2 pm, the Veterans Day Parade through downtown Fort Scott at 5 pm, and the 1800’s Remembrance Grand Ball begins at 7 pm at Memorial Hall.

Sunday, November 11th, activities begin at 9 am with church services at Community Christian Church, the annual Veterans Day Service at US National Cemetery Number One begins at 11 am, and the celebration concludes with a free will donation lunch at the VFW.

All the events, with the exception of the VFW lunch, are free to all veterans and active duty personnel. For more information, contact the Fort Scott Convention & Visitors Bureau at 620.670.2750 or online at visitfortscott.com.

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Mercy Hospital

Mercy Auxiliary Earns Gold

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Pictured accepting the award (left to right): Sally Emerson, 2018 Hospital Auxiliaries of Kansas – District 2 Coordinator; Reta Baker, President, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott; Alice Allen, 2018 Auxiliary President, Mercy Hospital Fort Scott; Diana Holloway, 2018 President, Hospital Auxiliaries of Kansas; and Tom Bell, President/CEO Kansas Hospital Association

The Mercy Hospital Fort Scott Auxiliary Volunteers received a Gold Award of Excellence at the Hospital Auxiliaries of Kansas (HAK) Convention held in Kansas City on September 7. The award is the state’s top honor for hospital auxiliaries that have demonstrated service and commitment to their hospitals and communities.

Auxiliaries who earn this prestigious honor must meet 21 criteria set up by the HAK such as participating in health-related community service activities, giving direct service to the hospital and contributing to health career scholarships.

Mercy Auxiliary holds a variety of fundraising events annually to raise money to purchase small equipment items for the hospital. In 2018, $22,573.88 was given. They also offer five $200 scholarships for students going into the medical field at Fort Scott Community College each semester.

This past year Auxiliary members volunteered 9,214 hours. Auxiliary members are usually the first person a patient sees when they walk in the door, and often times the last person they see. They are an integral part of the hospital, and we are very thankful to have such a dedicated and hard-working volunteer team!

 

Obituary

Obituary of William Dee Eastwood

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William Dee Eastwood, age 90, a resident of rural Bronson, Kansas, passed away Saturday, September 15, 2018, at the Guest Home Estates in Ft. Scott, Kansas.
 He was born October 1, 1927, in Allen County, Kansas, the son of Henry Edward Eastwood and Esther Marie Jackson Eastwood.
Dee served with the United States Marine Corps during World War II.
He married Stella Irene Phillips on August 10, 1950.  She preceded him in death on September 3, 1976.
He later married Erma F. Sproat on June 30, 1978.
Dee was a farmer, a cattleman, and an oil producer.  He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, Eastern Star, Scottish Rite Consistory and the Mirza Shrine as well as the Iola Elks Lodge.
 
Survivors include his wife, Erma; and three daughters, Linda Mefford and husband, Don, of Mound City, Kansas, Dea Ann Kuhn and husband, Allen, and Cheri Smith and husband, Larry, all of Wichita, Kansas; seven grandchildren, Shon Mefford, Jason Mefford (Cindy), Kelsey Kuhn (Ben), Nick Smith (Christine), Brandon Smith, Adam Smith (Amanda) and Suzie Smith (Anthony) and several great-grandchildren, a great-great-grandchild and several nieces and nephews.
In addition to his first wife, he was preceded in death by a sister, Wilma Shinn and a brother, Wilbur Eastwood.
 
Following cremation, a memorial service will be held at 2:00 P.M. Monday, October 1st at the Cheney Witt Bronson Chapel.
The family will receive friends from 1:00 P.M. until service time on Monday at the chapel.
Private family burial will take place in the Moran Cemetery.  Memorials are suggested to the Bronson Library and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Bronson Chapel, P.O. Box 93, Bronson, Kansas 66716.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Obituary

Obituary Of Thelma Vann

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Thelma Wynona Vann, age 93, a resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Monday, September 24, 2018, at Medicalodge of Ft. Scott.

She was born April 23, 1925, in Harding, KS, the daughter of Johnson and Agnes Willard Vann. She attended Forest Dale School through 8th grade. She moved from Harding to Ft. Scott in 1952. In 1968, she obtained her GED at Ft. Scott Community College.

Thelma worked for 27 years as a certified Lab Tech for Mercy Hospital. She was a member of Mt. Olive Church of God in Christ, where she served as Treasurer and Sunday school teacher for over 60 years. She took up playing piano for the church at the age of 90. Thelma continued driving until a year ago. She also enjoyed traveling, having visited London and Paris in 1972.

Survivors include a brother, Lawrence Vann, Ft. Scott; several nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

She was preceded in death by six brothers and five sisters.

Elder Roger Harris, Pastor Troy Webb, and Co-Pastor Agnes Walton will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Saturday, September 29th, at the Mt. Olive Church of God in Christ.

Private burial will be in the Mapleton Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 9:00 AM until service time at the Church. Memorials are suggested to Mt. Olive Church of God in Christ and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, P.O. Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Bourbon County, Government

The Bourbon County Courthouse North Wing Transformed

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The north wing of the Bourbon County Courthouse, on the right in this photo, has been reconfigured to house the county clerk, treasurer and commission offices. Additionally, at the back of the wing, Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative has leased a space for their business operations.

The public will be using a different door to get to the Bourbon County Commission, Treasurer and Clerk offices at 210 S. National.

The Bourbon County Courthouse personnel moved the offices late last week from the second floor to the north wing, the space of the former Sheriff’s Office and jail.

The Sheriff’s office and jail moved to a new facility at 293 E. 20th Street, earlier this year

The Bourbon County Commission room, September 2018.

The commission room is on the north side of the courthouse door as one enters in the north wing, There is room for the public to attend meetings comfortably now and space is more handicapped accessible on the ground floor.

The Bourbon County Clerk’s Office. Whitney Ball man’s the desk Monday. The office is located on the south side of the hall as one enters the doors on the north wing of the courthouse.
The Bourbon County Treasurer’s Office employees wait on the public in the new office on Monday. This office is located on the north side of the hall as one enters the doors on the north wing of the courthouse.
The north door of the courthouse is now for the Public Works Department.

To enter the county public works office, use the north door on the 2nd Street side.

The driver’s license office will be moving to the Bourbon County Attorney’s Office at Second and Judson Streets, behind the courthouse, pictured here.

The county attorney will move from the office building at 108 2nd Street to the 2nd floor of the courthouse on October 9.

The last day the driver’s license will be in its current location on the second floor of the courthouse, is Oct. 26, according to Shane Walker, Bourbon County Information Services Director.

On November 1, the driver’s license office will be open for business at 108 2nd Street, Walker said.

The Craw-Kan Telephone Cooperative space is seen at the back of the Judson Street side of the courthouse. The county commission has leased Craw-Kan two cells from the former jail at the courthouse for its business operation in Bourbon County.

“We’ve leased them two cells in the former jail in exchange for internet and phone services for life,” Walker said. “That will save the county $250,000 over the next 10-12 years. We currently have internet from them and will be switching to their phone service in the next month.”

“The other cells of the former jail are empty,” Walker said, “There are some future plans ahead for them.”

 

 

Bourbon County Local News