With the county’s asphalt program nearing completion, the Bourbon County Commission and Public Works Director Jim Harris discussed Tuesday morning which roads would be worked on next in the county.
The commissioners created a list of about 18 miles of road in need of a chip and seal, and then moved 11 miles of those roads to the top of the to-do list, based on the traffic and condition of the road. Harris said he believes they have enough funds budgeted to complete those roads and then reconvene to decide if they have finances remaining to do the others.
Some of the roads to be worked on first include three miles of road near the lake, Maple Road near Uniontown, Jayhawk Road east of Highway 69, 125th Street between Osage and Range roads and Highway 10 towards 55th Street.
“We’ll get it done,” Harris said of the projects assigned to his crew.
Some of the lower priority roads not completed this year could be done in 2018, though commissioners said Industrial Park roads will be a big project to be done next year.
Thomas Marvin Heter, of Garland, Kan., passed away peacefully on July 20, 2017. He was 79 years old.
Tom will be remembered for his passion, intelligence and his love of art, photography and music. An excellent musician who performed on guitar, keyboards and vocals, Tom’s record collection ran into the thousands. Since the 1960s, his and Jean’s home has been a hub for folk, jazz and blues musicians. Tom was also gifted as a visual artist, specializing in 35 millimeter black and white photography. Working as a professional photographer he took special pride in the printmaking process, which he mastered in his kitchen darkroom.
Tom is survived by his wife of 46 years, Jean Heter, and by his two children, Annette and Storm. Tom is survived by his siblings David, Charles, Gracie and Steve. He was a proud grandfather and great grandfather.
On Monday, July 23, at noon, a memorial service will be held at Cheney-Witt funeral chapel, Fort Scott, Kan. Services were under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kan.
After months of preparation and the hard work of a number of leaders, volunteers, parents and youth, the Bourbon County Fair came to a close Saturday after a week of festivities at the fairgrounds in Fort Scott.
“It was the smoothest running fair of my extension career,” Extension Agent Christopher Petty said. “This wouldn’t be possible without the tremendous volunteer support from the community. I want to thank each and every person who helped out in any way.”
About 150 youth and children of Bourbon County participated in events that displayed their skill in more than 1,100 exhibits showing animals, cooking, gardening, sewing, photography and a number of other activities displaying their creativity and hard work over the past year.
The fair provided not just an opportunity for participants to display those talents, but also to receive criticism and compete while learning how to demonstrate good-sportsmanship whether they won or lost, receiving good reviews or poor.
Check the FortScott.biz Facebook page here to see more photos taken of those students who participated throughout the week.
Today, July 14, the dog show was held at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds.
Evalena McCracken Pate-Rash, age 88, resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Wednesday, July 19, 2017, at Menorah Medical Center in Overland Park, Kan.
She was born September 16, 1928, in Excelsior Springs, Mo., the daughter of Walter Ira Pate and Anna Irena Carmer Pate. She worked outside the home at various jobs, yet her biggest responsibility was that of homemaker for her family. She enjoyed the outdoors, traveling, camping and fishing. She loved spending holidays with family, especially Christmas. She liked to play cards with the family, and really hated to lose at any game. She liked cooking for her family, especially German chocolate cake and spaghetti red. She was a member of the Grace Baptist Tabernacle.
Survivors include four children; Cecil Rash, Topeka, Kan., Roy Rash, Independence, Mo., Donna Marie Hassan and husband Ahmad, Katy, Texas, and Glenn Rash and wife Vana, Fort Scott, Kan.; two sisters-in-law, Edna Pate, Mustang, Okla., and Ina Mae Rash, Vail, Colo.; 10 grandchildren, 22 great grandchildren and nine great-great grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by a son, Henry Rash; a daughter, Sherry Palmer; a sister, Emma Anna Pate; a brother, Emmet Ira Pate; three half-brothers, Chester Atwood, Gailen Atwood, and Oray Pate; a half-sister, Sarah Mae Atwood; and her parents.
Rev. Paul Rooks will conduct funeral services at 11 a.m. Thursday, July 27, at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will follow in the Oak Grove Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 10 a.m. until service time on Thursday. Memorials are suggested to Care to Share, and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Laura Mae Benson Croan, age 94, a resident of Fort Scott, died Tuesday, July 18, 2017, at the Fort Scott Manor.
She was born August 11, 1922, in Gardendale, Ala., the daughter of Thomas Alexander Benson and Pearl Luvada Moncreif Benson. She married Dr. Harold C. Croan on September 3, 1949, in Hernando, Miss., he preceded her in death on March 19, 2008.
She is survived by a son, Randall Scott Croan, and wife Sharon of Overland Park, Kan., a daughter-in-law, Gayla Croan, of Fort Scott; two granddaughters, Morgan Felt and husband Carson, of Fort Scott, and Blair Croan and husband Parikshit Singh, of Phoenix, Ariz.; as well as several nieces and nephews; she was preceded in death by her Husband Dr. Harold C. Croan; a son, Allan Benson Croan; four sisters, Marie Craddock, Pearl Melville, Christine Arnold-Hook and Carolyn Farmer; and her parents.
There was cremation. Rev. Steve Cole will conduct a memorial graveside service at 10 a.m. Monday, July 24, 2017, at the U. S. National Cemetery. Memorial are suggested to the Fort Scott Manor Activity Fund and may be left in 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.
Fort Scott Community College is pleased to welcome Adam Borth as the FSCC Vice President of Academic Affairs.
“I am extremely excited to join the FSCC team and immerse myself into the Fort Scott community,” said Borth. “The opportunity to work with the faculty, staff and administration to continue providing a quality education to meet the needs of Fort Scott and the surrounding areas, while creating new and innovative opportunities, continues to build my passion and enthusiasm for FSCC.”
Before joining FSCC, Borth was the dean of humanities and social sciences at Seward County Community College (SCCC), where he also taught humanities and social science courses. He previously served as the director of research and assessment at SCCC. Before his time at SCCC, he was the communications director and humanities department instructor at Cowley County Community College for seven years. Borth also previously worked at Northwestern Oklahoma State University as an admissions representative.
Since November 2014, Borth has served as the president of the Kansas Association of AQIP Schools. In this role, he provides guidance and leadership for quality improvement for accreditation purposes, facilitates meetings and serves as a liaison for institutional communications.
Borth was a recipient of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development Excellence Award in 2012. He has participated in the Kansas Community College Leadership Institute and the Seward County Community College Emerging Leadership Experience. He served as a board member of the Baker Arts Center and as a member of the Winfield High School advisory committee, Arkansas City High School advisory committee and the Kansas Association of Broadcasters. Borth has also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity.
Borth holds a bachelor of science degree in mass communications and a master of education degree from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He is currently completing his dissertation for a doctor of education degree in educational leadership from Baker University.
Dr. Larry Seals Earns Another Five-Star Excellence Award
For the third consecutive year, Dr. Larry Seals and the Mercy Clinic Fort Scott OB/GYN team, have earned the Professional Research Consultants, Inc. (PRC) Five-Star Excellence Award for Provider Services and Overall Care.
For the third consecutive year, Mercy Fort Scott OB/GYN Dr. Larry Seals and RNs Trina Arndt (left) and Crystal Roberts have earned the prestigious PRC Five-Star Excellence Award. Photo Credit and cutline: Mercy Hospital.
The recognition honors Seals for scoring in the top 10 percent nationally for “excellent”
responses in patient satisfaction surveys.
After 30 years in practice – and thousands of beautiful babies delivered into his hands – Seals gives credit for the award to teamwork.
“I’m happy because my nursing staff does a great job of treating patients with superb clinical skill and unmatched compassion,” he said.
Seals contributes his practice’s success to being grounded and down to earth.
“When precious life is in your hands, it’s important to remain humble and share genuine care for everyone.”
Mercy Kids Health Fair and Teddy Bear Clinic Scheduled for Saturday, August 12
Making healthy choices begins with good mentoring. Help steer your children down the right path by bringing them to the Mercy Kids Health and Safety Fair on Saturday, August 12, at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott. From 9 a.m. to noon, the clinic will provide free health screenings, fitness fun, education and learning opportunities, a chance to see emergency vehicles and meet with community agency representatives.
All screenings and events are free and open to the public.
The Teddy Bear Clinic is a highlight of the event. Young children are encouraged to bring their teddy bear or doll for a check-up. Surgeons will be on hand to mend minor cuts or tears to your child’s favorite stuffed animal.
Just a few of the scheduled activities include: health screenings (eye, vision, blood pressure, height and weight, and dental checks), nutritional information, details about vaccines, hand-washing tips, healthy snacks, preventing colds and the flu, exercise stations, as well as a bounce house and photo booth. Also on site will be Mercy EMS staff, Fort Scott police and fire department personnel, the Bourbon County Sherriff, as well as Kansas Wildlife and Parks.
Kids may register to win a backpack stuffed with school supplies. Winner need not be present to win, but registration the day of the event is required.
For more information about the Mercy Clinic Kids Health and Safety Fair, call Amy Budy at 620-223-8093.
Mercy Health Foundation Fort Scott Awarded $50,000 for Ultrasound Upgrade
Mercy Health Foundation Fort Scott was recently awarded a $50,000 grant from The Timken Foundation of Canton, Ohio, to replace ultrasound equipment at the hospital.
On Monday, July 24, at 10 a.m., Jack and Joy Timken of the Timken Foundation of Canton, Ohio, will tour Mercy Hospital Fort Scott and view the imaging services area where the new equipment will be installed in fall 2017.
Media is invited to participate in the tour. After the tour, the media is encouraged to ask questions pertaining to the donation from The Timken Foundation and about ultrasound.
A common plant problem for tomatoes is blossom-end rot. Blossom-end rot causes tomatoes to have a sunken, brown leathery patch on the bottom of the fruit. This problem is most common on tomatoes, however, it can also affect squash, peppers and watermelons.
Blossom-end rot is not a disease. It is caused by a lack of calcium in the developing fruit. Many people often assume that this means there is a corresponding lack of calcium in the soil, but that is not necessarily the case. So what causes blossom-end rot then? There are several possible causes.
Tomato tops often outgrow the root system during cooler spring weather. As long as it is cool, the root system can keep up. Once the weather turns hot and dry, the plant has a problem. Water, with the calcium it carries, goes to the leaves and bypasses the fruit. This causes a spot on the bottom of the tomato to form. The plant will respond with new growth, and the condition corrects itself after a couple of weeks.
Heavy fertilization, especially with ammonium forms of nitrogen, can encourage blossom-end rot. Heavy fertilization encourages more top than root growth and the ammonium form of nitrogen competes with calcium for uptake.
Disturbing the root system, such as hoeing too deep, can also encourage blossom-end rot. Inconsistent watering could also be a factor. Try to keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. Mulching will help because it keeps the soil surface cooler and provides a better environment for root growth.
But, some years you can do everything right and the condition still shows up because of the weather. Remember that blossom-end rot is a temporary condition and plants should come out of it in a couple of weeks. You might want to pick off affected fruit to encourage new fruit formation.
Another tomato plant culprit is stinkbugs. Stinkbug damage appears as golden-yellow, pink or white spots on fruit. Stinkbugs are shield-shaped insects that emit a foul odor when disturbed.
Stinkbugs injure the fruit by using its mouthparts to probe. Color development is affected where probing occurs, which results in the off color or cloudy spots. Heavy feeding causes spots to spread and because of that, tomatoes may develop a golden color. If you look closely, you can see pinprick-sized puncture wounds in the middle of the spots. Hard, whitish tissue develops beneath the skin of the area of wounding.
By the time you notice the spots, stinkbugs are often gone. That makes control impossible. The good news is that affected tomatoes are still safe to eat.
Spider mites are also starting to cause significant damage. They love hot, dry weather and the conditions have been favorable for them. Look for leaf stippling (tiny white spots that causes the leaf to appear silver in color) and for webbing on the underneath side of the leaf.
A good strong jet of water will knock them off the leaves. If that doesn’t work, horticulture oils or insecticidal soaps can be used. However, these need to be applied early in the morning when temperatures are cooler and the plant can rehydrate.
As a reminder, the Extension services are free of charge! Take advantage of our expert knowledge to help get your plant questions answered.
Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Agricultural agent assigned to Southwind District. She may be reached at 620-244- 3826 or [email protected]
Their world has gone to the dogs. Correction: dog. Mollie hit the mongrel jackpot when she was adopted by parents who are giving her every opportunity to succeed in the canine world. Mollie is a rescue dog, which makes her parents sort of foster heroes because they chose a reject instead of purchasing a full-blood. Their home is a shrine to their baby, and even though she is only three years old, scrapbooks fill the fireplace shelves. Should you ask, a slide show is available in the family room. Okay, perhaps that is an exaggeration.
Then again, maybe not.
My friend Debbie is Mollie’s “grandmother.” She visited Dave and me over Memorial Day weekend, and we all cracked up when she pulled out the most recent photos of Mollie. We began with swim lessons. Yes, you read right. I questioned if Mollie’s parents paid extra for poochy to learn the back stroke and the butterfly. Seriously! What ever happened to tossing a dog off a dock to teach him to doggy paddle? If it was good enough for my kids…
The next snapshots were at Mollie’s day care center’s graduation. (See photo.) This is no normal pup school. The interview process assures an appropriate fit. Not just anyone is accepted, nor would just any faculty be right for Mollie. (Thank goodness Sunbeam Pre-School wasn’t as selective.)
Debbie shared that she was flabbergasted after receiving a graduation announcement listing a gift registry at Petco. As if that weren’t enough, at the ceremony Mollie was awarded a separate certificate for finishing her pre-school education as “a good citizen.” Since Mollie is the only “child” of Debbie’s only child, “Grandma” coughed up $50 to purchase doggie dental floss.
Mollie is fed better than I fed our children. Her diet is controlled with nutrients I can’t even pronounce. No ballpark hotdogs or frozen pizza or leftover pb&j’s for this mutt, and
Heaven forbid if her parents ever received a phone call from Sonic telling them that “yet again” their dog was mooching off of their patrons. Mollie’s diet is organic. Our pooch never saw a
preservative he didn’t like. Then again, neither did our kids.
I must be honest here. I’m not a dog lover. I’m a dog liker, but there is a difference. I have two girlfriends—let’s call them Marti and Sally because…well, that’s their names—who have saved more animals than the Humane Society. Not me. I will stop my car to help a turtle cross the road, but I have no desire to sleep with a dog or pick up their messes or buy a stroller so my pet can vacation with me.
That being said, I do believe God created animals to be protected and cared for. We know there was a bond between Adam and the creatures because Adam was told to name the animals…not the trees or plants. Proverbs 12:10 states, “Whoever is righteous cares for the life of his animals.” However, God declares in Genesis 1:26-30 that humans have the responsibility to rule over the nonhuman creation. There is a balance in there somewhere.
I’m just not sure swim lessons were what He had in mind.
Wednesday the 12th, Fort Scott Hurricanes competed in Iola. Fort Scott won with 532 points to Iola’s 139. Saturday the Hurricanes will be back in Iola for the league meet.
Fort Scott Community College welcomes Lana Ross as the new FSCC Head Softball Coach.
“We’re thrilled that Coach Ross will be joining the Greyhound family. She has been a champion throughout her entire career and brings a tremendous amount of experience and success to the softball program. Adding a coach of her caliber to our staff will improve our entire department,” said Tom Havron, FSCC Dean of Students and Director of Athletics. “Coach Ross is already off and running, and we couldn’t be more excited about the future of our softball program.”
Ross served as head softball coach, game management coordinator and chief ticketing officer at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa, from 2002 to 2016. During her tenure at IWCC, she had a 544-238 record, and the team won five regional titles, three district titles and made three appearances at the NJCAA (National Junior College Athletic Association) national tournament. She coached 62 First Team All-Region players, 43 Second Team All-Region players, 11 NJCAA All-Americans, 17 NFCA (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) All-Americans, 25 NJCAA Academic All-Americans and 96 NFCA Academic All-Americans. For thirteen consecutive years, her team was recognized as the NFCA Academic Team of the Year.
For the past two years, Ross has served as a private softball instructor and provided pitching, hitting and defensive lessons to 30 athletes. From 2000 to 2002, she served as assistant softball coach at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. She served as assistant softball coach and instructor at Blinn College in Brenham, Texas, from 1999 to 2000.
Ross is a five-time Region XI Coach of the Year. In 2013, she was recognized as the NFCA Coaching Staff of the Year. She was selected as the coach for the 2015 NJCAA All Star Team. Ross has been a member of the NFCA since 1999 and has attended the NFCA Convention for the past eight years. She is a member of the NFCA Awards Committee and Rules Committee and serves as the Division I Coaches Representative for both the NFCA and NJCAA. Ross was named among the 2004-2005 Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. She has also served as a keynote speaker for numerous leadership conventions.
Ross earned her bachelor of science degree in education from Oklahoma City University in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
A deteriorating, downtown Fort Scott building may soon get a new look as the city of Fort Scott and local business owners invest in the former Spoiled Brat building at 124 E. Wall Street with the help of a state grant.
Earlier this year, the Hoener family had approached the city with their plans to buy the building and repair the leaning wall of the structure. They planned to move forward with paying for the repair of the wall but asked if the city would be willing to set aside the amount of money the city planned spending to make the structure safe if nothing were done. This money would be used only in the event that something was discovered under the ground that made the cost significantly more than the quote and would help guarantee that the repairs could be finished in order to get the building back to a safe state.
Believing in the Hoener’s plan to repair the building and relocate their Hole in the Wall Liquor store on Oak Street to that structure, the city decided to assist by seeking the help of a state grant. In June, the Fort Scott City Commission received word they had been awarded up to $95,000 from the 2017 Small Cities Community Development Block Grant under the Downtown Commercial Rehabilitation funding category.
“Another great improvement to our downtown,” Codes Manager Rhonda Dunn said of the project, which is expected to also include second floor apartments.
The commission voted unanimously during their meeting Tuesday evening to accept the grant. Dunn said it is common for the city to accept the grant and then immediately administer it to another party such as the Hoeners for economic development.
Commissioner Randy Nichols said he wishes the family well as they take on the task and strive to repair the downtown building.
(This article has been edited to better reflect that the city did not front any money for the repair of the building.)
