Click below for the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office daily reports. The BCSO can be reached at (620) 223-2380.
Friday Free Concert: Workman Bluegrass Band
This Friday’s Chamber of Commerce sponsored concert will feature the Workman Bluegrass band.
“The band has performed many times for us at the pavilion and is a continuing favorite with their lively renditions of bluegrass, folk and traditional gospel music,” Ralph Carlson, the event organizer said. “The concert starts at 7 pm. come early and bring your lawn chairs as seating is limited. In the event of rain, the band has opted to go indoors at The Common Grounds Coffee shop 1/2 block south of the Heritage Park Pavilion.”
$142 million in Obamacare Fees Ordered Returned to Kansas
TOPEKA – A federal court in Texas ruled yesterday that money collected as part of Obamacare, known as the Health Insurance Provider fee, be returned to the states by the Federal government. Kansas and five other states were part of this legal action, in which $142-million was ordered to be returned to the state of Kansas.
“This is just another example of the monumental failure of Obamacare and the expensive toll it has taken on our state,” said Governor Jeff Colyer, “This fee has been illegally collected for far too long, and I am grateful to Attorney General Derek Schmidt for going to bat for Kansas and ensuring that a legal remedy was made for returning millions of dollars that should have never been taken from taxpayers in the first place.”
Attorney General Schmidt said in a statement earlier today that an appeal is likely, so the funds should not be counted just yet, but he feels confident in the strength of the case should it be appealed.
Southwind 4-H Members Win State Championships
SOUTHWIND 4-H MEMBERS WIN 3 STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
4-H members from the Southwind Extension District excelled at the annual Kansas 4-H Livestock Sweepstakes event on August 18-19 in Kansas State University’s Weber Hall. Participants from the Southwind Extension District were Gavin Fry, Sadie Marchiano, Danielle Nading, Kolby Seested, Clay Brillhart, Jillian Keller, Brody Nemecek, Haydon Schaaf, Carly Dreher, Brooklyn Pruitt, Zach Snyder, Aidan Yoho, Kristyn Beene, Gwen Fry and Dylan Hazelbaker representing 4-H Clubs from Allen, Bourbon and Woodson Counties.
4-H members learned gained new knowledge and worked on livestock skills in order to be competitive in the Sweepstakes event which consisted of blending scores in four contests. Southwind Extension District completed the weekend by being named the 2018 Champion and 3rd Overall Kansas State 4-H Sweepstakes Teams. Top ten individual Sweepstakes winners for Southwind were Clay Brillhart 8th, Brody Nemecek 5th, Gavin Fry 4th and Haydon Schaaf was named High Individual Overall after excelling in all contests.
The Livestock Quiz Bowl started with a qualifying exam. The eight teams with the highest average scores advanced to the quiz bowl competition. Southwind #2 (Seested, Fry, Schaaf, Nemecek) was seated first after the test and was later named the Champion Quiz Bowl Team where they won the final match 265 points to 40 points. Southwind #1 (Nading, Keller, Brillhart, Marchiano) also scored well on the quiz and were seated as the #2 team.
The Livestock Judging contest consisted of nine judging classes and four sets of reasons with 227 contestants and 42 teams from across Kansas. Southwind #2 (Brillhart, Nemecek, Keller, Schaaf) was 1st in Sheep/Goats; 1st in Swine; 1st in Cattle and 1st in Reasons and named Champion Team Overall. Southwind #1 (Gavin Fry, Marchiano, Seested, Nading) was 4th in Sheep/Goats; 2nd in Swine; 2nd in Cattle; 2nd in Reasons and named Reserve High Team Overall. Individually, Clay Brillhart was High Individual in Swine, 4th in Sheep/Goats, 4th in Cattle, High Individual in Reasons and 2nd High Individual Overall; Kolby Seested was 5th in Swine, 10th in Sheep/Goats, 8th in Reasons, and 8th Individual Overall; Haydon Schaaf was 4th in Swine; Brody Nemecek was 3rd in Swine, 2nd in Sheep/Goats, 8th in Cattle, 5th in Reasons and 3rd High Individual; Danielle Nading was 2nd in Swine, 8th in Sheep/Goats, 3rd in Cattle, 3rd in Reasons, and 4th High Individual; Jillian Keller was 6th in Swine, 9th in Sheep/Goats, 6th in Cattle, 6th in Reasons, and 6th Individual Overall; Sadie Marchiano was 10th in Reasons. As the State Champion Livestock Judging Team, Southwind District will represent Kansas 4-H at the National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO next January.
The Meats Judging contest was based on the identification of thirty retail cuts, six placings classes and three sets of reasons. Haydon Schaaf was named 2nd in Retail ID, 3rd in Placings and 2nd High Individual Overall; Gavin Fry was 9th in Retail ID, 10th in Placings and 8th Individual Overall; Sadie Marchiano was 3rd in Reasons; Aidan Yoho was 11th in Reasons; Clay Brillhart was 10th In ID; Southwind #2 (Schaaf, Fry, Brillhart, Nemecek) was 2nd in Reasons, 2nd in Retail ID and Reserve Champion Team Overall. Southwind #1 (Keller, Marchiano, Nading, Seested) was 3rd in Reasons and 7th High Team Overall.
In the Livestock Skillathon, 4-H members rotated individually through stations that addressed six areas of animal science. Those included feedstuffs, breed identification, equipment identification, meat identification, and a written test. There was also a team component where members worked together on evaluating a performance Angus genetics scenario, understanding livestock biosecurity, and understanding issues in livestock reproduction. Individually, Brody Nemecek was 5th in the Practicum, 4th in the Exam, and 3rd Individual; Gavin Fry was 3rd in the Practicum, 1st in Exam, and 2nd High Individual Overall; Clay Brillhart was 10th Individual Overall, and Haydon Schaaf was 7th Individual Overall.
This group worked hard and studied a great deal of material to prepare for four state contests. Carla Nemecek, Southwind Extension District Director coaches all of these teams. To be named the Champion and Reserve Champion Livestock Judging Teams, Reserve Champion Meats Judging Team, Reserve Livestock Skillathon Team, Champion Livestock Quiz Bowl Team, and Overall Champion Sweepstakes Team at the state contests shows how hard these 4-H members pushed each other to “Make the Best Better.”
The Southwind District is proud of their accomplishments and looks forward to future growth and learning.
Submitted by Carla Nemecek
History Offerings At Fort Scott National Historic Site on Labor Day Weekend
CELEBRATE LABOR DAY WEEKEND WITH FORT SCOTT NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
Celebrate the Dignity and Importance of Labor, 1840s style
Fort Scott KS – Saturday, September 1 through Monday, September 3, 2018, Fort Scott National Historic Site (FOSC) will commemorate Labor Day weekend with artillery, horses, music, living history demonstrations and a series of interpretive programs. All programs are free.
Saturday, September 1st
10:00 a.m. “Flour, Sweat, and Tears”: 1840s Bakehouse Program
11:00 a.m. Thunder Wagon: 1840s Artillery Demonstration
12:00 p.m. “Hardy Dashing Fellows” Dragoon Soldier Program
1:00 p.m. Guided Tour of Fort Scott National Historic Site
2:00 p.m. “Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: 1840s style” –Officers’ Wife Program (letter writing)
3:00 p.m. Thunder Wagon: 1840s Artillery Demo
4:00 p.m. Flag Retreat
Sunday, September 2nd
11:00 a.m. Thunder Wagon: 1840s Artillery Demo
12:00 p.m. “Saws and Scalpels: Civil War Medicine”
1:00 p.m. “Crack Post of the Frontier” Guided Tour-Construction History of Fort Scott
2:00 p.m. “The Griffith Trial: A Marais des Cygnes Conviction”
3:00 p.m. Thunder Wagon: 1840s Artillery Demo
4:00 p.m. Flag Retreat
Monday, September 3rd
11:00 a.m. Thunder Wagon: 1840s Artillery Demonstration
12:00 p.m. “Fort Scott Soldier Ants” 1840s Construction Demonstration
1:00 p.m. Guided Tour of Fort Scott National Historic Site
2:00 p.m. Musical Program-Holmes Brigade Minstrels
2:30 p.m. Free ice cream, served to honor all those who have worked hard to build America, courtesy of the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site.
3:00 p.m. Thunder Wagon: 1840s Artillery Demonstration
3:30 p.m. Musical Program -Holmes Brigade Minstrels
4:00 p.m. Flag Retreat
The thunder of artillery will sound each day at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. with a short program explaining how the gun is fired.
Other programs offered throughout the weekend are Guided tours at 1:00 p.m. and a flag retreat ceremony at 4:00 p.m. occur each day.
On Saturday, living history interpreters will be cooking in the mess hall and baking bread in the bakehouse with an interpretive program about the bakehouse at 10:00 a.m.
At 12:00 p.m. a program about dragoon soldiers titled “Hardy Dashing Fellows” and at 2:00 p.m. an officer’s wife will be sharing the latest gossip in the program “Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: 1840s style.”
On Sunday, September 2, in the program “The Griffith Trial: A Marais des Cygnes Conviction”, Park Ranger Robert Thomas will lead a reenactment of the trial of William Griffith, the only man to be convicted of the Marais des Cygnes Massacre.
Also on Sunday, you can learn about Civil War medicine in “Saws and Scalpels.”
“No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.”
This quote from Martin Luther King can be applied to the workers of modern times as well as those who labored to build and maintain Fort Scott.
A special tour on Sunday “From the Crack Post of the Frontier:” will focus on the labor force, building materials, architectural styles, and construction techniques used in the building of Fort Scott.
Programs on Monday, September 3 will include a Labor Day construction demonstration, musical programs offered by the Holmes Brigade Minstrels and free ice cream at 2:30 p.m., served to honor all those who have worked hard to build America. The ice cream is being offered courtesy of the Friends of Fort Scott National Historic Site.
Car Show At Presbyterian Village Sept. 13
Presbyterian Village to host a car show
FORT SCOTT, Kan. – If you’ve got a classic show car you’d like to show off, Fort Scott Presbyterian Village is giving you an excuse September 13. The senior living community will be hosting a car show from 4 to 7 p.m.
Shine up those whitewalls and polish that chrome because prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place winners. Come out and enjoy hot dogs, chips, and drinks while wandering through a collection of classic cars.
RSVP to Becky Kellum, marketing director, by Sept. 4 at 620-223-5550 or [email protected].
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Fort Scott Presbyterian Village has been offering independent and assisted living apartments for seniors from southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri since 1994. Learn more at FortScottPresbyterianVillage.org. It is a member of the nonprofit Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America network of 17 communities and 2 hospices in Kansas and Missouri. Learn more about PMMA at PresbyterianManors.org.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Aug. 22
Click below for the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office daily reports. The BCSO can be reached at (620) 223-2380.
Obituary of Earl Clifford Pritchett, Jr.
Earl Clifford Pritchett, Jr., age 78, a resident of Uniontown, Kansas, passed away Tuesday, August 21, 2018, at the Nevada Nursing and Rehab in Nevada, Missouri.
He was born April 20, 1940, in Bonneterre, Missouri, the son of Earl C. Pritchett and Etta Uleny Cooper Pritchett. Earl first married Mary R. Knapp on December 26, 1965. She preceded him in death on September 7, 2006. He later married Carole Ganer on December 12, 2008.
Earl had served with the United States Army and the United States Air Force and retired from the Air National Guard with twenty-three years of service. He later worked as a truck driver. He had attended the Uniontown United Methodist Church.
Survivors include his wife, Carole, of the home in Uniontown and his children, Danny Pritchett and wife, Christy, of Uniontown, Heather Culp and husband, Edward, of Wichita and Bryan Ganer and wife, Jennifer, of Liberal, Missouri; seventeen grandchildren and twenty great-grandchildren.
In addition to his first wife, Mary, he was preceded in death by a daughter, Connie Pritchett and a brother Daniel Frank Pritchett.
Rev. Marty Dewitt will conduct funeral services at 1:30 P.M. Friday, August 24th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Following funeral services, there will be cremation with burial in the U. S. National Cemetery in Ft. Scott.
Memorials are suggested to the Uniontown City Park Fund and may be left in the care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
St. Martin’s Academy Starts Inaugural Year Sept. 4
A new Catholic boys boarding school organization is transforming a brushy hillside just east of Lake Fort Scott into a campus.
Theotokos Hall is the first building being built at St. Martin’s Academy, on Indian Road, near Lake Fort Scott.
Completion of the hall is slated for late fall or early winter, Daniel Kerr, president of St. Martin’s Academy, said.
The original completion date was this month.
“School begins Sept. 4 and … we’ll spend the first eight- days on an outdoor expedition near Moab, Utah,” he said.
“In the meantime, we’ll bunk at the former Levine Mansion in Fort Scott, a massive Victorian beauty built in 1884 and a more than suitable Plan B to start the year,” he said in information provided to FortScott.Biz.
There will be a faculty of 12, with four “house fathers” living on campus with the boys to provide residential supervision, Kerr said.
“Enrollment has exceeded our every expectation as we have maxed out our first year capacity of 20 students and now have a growing waiting list. God is good!” Kerr said.
“We will have met personally with every student as part of the application process and can confidently say these are young men of exceptional character from wonderful families,” Kerr said.
“We’ll be welcoming students from Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina and California.”
The Moab, Utah trip will be led by Residential Dean, Travis Dziad in conjunction with COR Expeditions.
The group will canoe, rock-climb, and hike for the first days of the school year.
” We think this will be a great way for our new students to form friendships (the best anecdote to home-sickness) while setting the proper tone for a year in which God’s creation, not pop culture, is our frame of reference,” Kerr said.
Mark Spore: New Fort Scott High School Science Teacher
This is part of a series featuring new teachers in our community.
Mark Spore is the new Fort Scott High School Science Teacher.
Name: Mark Spore
Title: Science Teacher
Education: BSE from Emporia State
Experience: 21 years in Education
Age: 47
Family: Married with 3 sons
Why did you choose education as a career?
I believe Education is one of the most important occupations there is and I want to help kids pursue their dreams and reach their full potential.
What is first in priorities for this new position?
I want to get to know my students and provide a safe, positive learning environment that is both challenging and rewarding.
Jered McKay: The New Eugene Ware Focus Room Teacher
This is part of a series on new teachers in our community.
Jered McKay is the Eugene Ware Elementary School Focus Room Teacher.
Name: Jered McKay
Title: Focus Room Teacher
Education: I have a masters in Applied Behavioral Analysis and am working on my masters in teaching.
Age: 35
Family: Four children ages 4, 7, 8, and 16.
I am member of Smallville Crossfit and am member of Psi Chi Honor Association
Autumn Durrossette: New First-Grade Teacher at Winfield Scott
This is part of a series featuring new teachers in our community.
Autumn Durrossette is a new first-grade teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary School.
Name: Autumn Durossette
Title of position: 1st Grade teacher
Education: BS Elementary Minor Early childhood MS Elementary Education
Experience: 12 years in kindergarten in Nevada MO
Age: 35
Family: Husband Kevin, and three children: Sophie, 8, Kasen, 5, Cash, 3.
Why did you choose education as a career?
“I always knew I wanted to teach young children. I love watching them discover new things. They are excited about the world! Every day early childhood teachers get to experience the miracle of children growing, changing, learning about the world around them. It’s amazing to watch a child accomplish something they worked so hard to do. It’s the best part of my job.”
What is the first on your list of priorities for the position?
“To be the best I can be and help my students succeed. “