Fort Scott

FSCC to Host Screening, Discussion of WWI Film

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Fort Scott Community College will host a preview screening of the PBS American Experience film, “The Great War,” and a panel discussion April 10, 2-4 p.m., at the Ellis Family Fine Arts Center.

The screening and discussion will follow the topic of “The War for Democracy: America’s New Foreign Policy,” looking into President Woodrow Wilson’s decision to move from neutrality to becoming a part of World War I.

Panel members will include Pastor James Collins, retired army chaplain; Jan Elder (Baldwin), an emigrant from England whose grandfather served in World War I; and an FSCC faculty member who will be named later.

See the press release below for details on the film that will air on PBS in April.

(BOSTON, MA) — Scheduled in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into the war on April 6, 1917, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “The Great War,” a three-part, six-hour documentary, will premiere Monday, April 10, through Wednesday, April 12, 9-11 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS. Featuring the voices of Campbell Scott, Blythe Danner, Courtney Vance and others, “The Great War” is executive produced by Mark Samels and directed by award-winning filmmakers Stephen Ives, Amanda Pollak and Rob Rapley.

Drawing on the latest scholarship, including unpublished diaries, memoirs and letters, “The Great War” tells the rich and complex story of World War I through the voices of nurses, journalists, aviators and the American troops who came to be known as “doughboys.” The series explores the experiences of African-American and Latino soldiers, suffragists, Native-American “code talkers” and others whose participation in the war to “make the world safe for democracy” has been largely forgotten. “The Great War” also explores how a brilliant PR man bolstered support for the war in a country hesitant to put lives on the line for a foreign conflict; how President Woodrow Wilson steered the nation through almost three years of neutrality, only to reluctantly lead America into the bloodiest conflict the world had ever seen, thereby transforming the United States into a dominant player on the international stage; and how the ardent patriotism and determination to support America’s crusade for liberty abroad led to one of the most oppressive crackdowns on civil liberties at home in American history.

It is also a story of little known heroism and sacrifice (including the deadliest battle in American history) that would leave more than 53,000 men dead on the battlefield and more than 60,000 dead from disease. American fatalities would come at a critical time in the war, but they would be dwarfed by a cataclysm of violence that would ultimately claim 15 million lives.

“World War I was the soil from which so many things today really grew, starting with America’s place in the world,” said AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Executive Producer Mark Samels. “Before the war, America was isolated and uninvolved in world affairs. After the war, America stepped onto the world stage, and that continues today with our troops becoming involved in conflicts around the world. The current debate on the balance between national security and civil liberties also began with World War I. The debate over immigration reached its apex during World War I. The film is not only about what happened 100 years ago, but how what happened then transformed our nation and the world in ways still being felt today.”

The broadcast of “The Great War” will be accompanied by a series of screening events and discussions hosted by universities, museums and public television stations around the country.

“The Great War” will be available on DVD from PBS Distribution and can be purchased at ShopPBS.org. Online viewing begins April 11, at PBS.org.

“The Great War”

Episode One

Written and Directed by Stephen Ives

Produced by Amanda Pollak

Narrated by Oliver Platt

Edited by Jon Neuberger and Merril Stern

Episode Two

Produced and Directed by Amanda Pollak

Written by Stephen Ives

Narrated by Oliver Platt

Edited by Seth Bomse

Episode Three

Written and Directed by Rob Rapley

Narrated by Oliver Platt

Edited by R. A. Fedde

Series Producers Stephen Ives

Amanda Pollak

Original Music by Peter Rundquist

Tom Phillips

Co-Producer Gene Tempest

Archival Producer Lizzy McGlynn

Coordinating Producer Nazenet Habtezghi

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE is a production of WGBH Boston

Senior Producer Susan Bellows

Executive Producer Mark Samels

The Voices of “The Great War”

Edith Wharton            Blythe Danner

Eugene Bullard           Brandon Dirden

Eddie Rickenbacker    Christopher Gorham

Ralph John/Alan Seeger          Josh Hamilton

Mary Borden               Jennifer Andrews Lee

Victor Chapman          Eric Loscheider

John Barkley               Jacob Pitts

Jose de la luz Saenz                Armando Riesco

Richard Harding Davis           Campbell Scott

James Europe              David St. Louis

Noble Sissle                Courtney B. Vance

 

 

Opinion

Patty LaRoche: Fact v. Fiction in Creation

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O LORD, what a variety of things you have made! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Psalm 104:24

A friend sent me an email that addresses the attention God paid to numbers when He created the world. It began with God’s use of the number “7” (meaning “perfection”) in the hatching of eggs:

  • The canary in 14 days
  • The barnyard hen in 21 days
  • The ducks and geese in 28 days
  • The mallard in 35 days
  • The parrot and the ostrich in 42 days

The email then moved from eggs to legs, comparing the design of the elephant, horse and cow. I read that, to rise from the ground, elephants’ four legs all bend forward, horses use their front legs and cows rely on the strength of their back legs.

I wasn’t too sure how that proved the cleverness of God, especially after I watched a video of an elephant rising—his front ankles, not his knees, bending forward. However, the next part of the email fascinated me. It dealt with the numerical qualities of fruits and vegetables.

  • Each Watermelon has an even number of stripes on the rind
  • Each Orange has an even number of segments
  • Each Ear of Corn has an even number of rows
  • Each Stalk of Wheat has an even number of grains
  • Every Bunch of Bananas has on its lowest row an even number of bananas, and each row decreases by one.

At that point, I was ready to jump in my car, speed to the local supermarket, fill my cart with whatever of the aforementioned produce I could find and have a counting party. But as I continued reading, two plus two wasn’t adding up to four. “The waves of the sea roll in on shore twenty-six to the minute in all kinds of weather.”

It just so happened that I was reading this email from the beach in Mexico. You know, where the waves roll in. So, I watched. And counted eighteen seconds elapsed between the first and second wave. Then sixteen. Do the math. There’s quite a difference between 26 and 3.5. It was time to research the truth of this email.

Starting with eggs, the extensive list proved that not all egg-hatching is divisible by seven. For example, pigeons take 10-18 days and pheasants, 24 days. Then I checked out the fruit. Some watermelons, for example, have no stripes. As for the orange? Well, unless nine is an even number, this isn’t true, either.

On Google, atheists had a field day with this information. Sadly, Christian enthusiasts, eager to validate intelligence in design, were passing on this fruitless data as if it were Gospel. Sermons were created from it. Facebook fanatics were copying it.

Stop! Stop! I wanted to scream.

God doesn’t need us to make up “facts” to support His cleverness in creation. We are surrounded by his work. Look at animals. Fruits and vegetables. The ocean. Human beings. All demonstrate the brilliance of One with a mind-blowing imagination. No extra addition is necessary. God. Is. Enough.

And that, Readers, is my two cents worth.

Revelation 4:11 reminds us of the attitude we should have towards God’s handiwork.

You are worthy, O Lord our God, to receive glory and honor and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased.

Business

Briggs Celebrates One Year in Fort Scott

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Briggs Auto Group celebrated its first year in Fort Scott during a Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Chamber Coffee event Thursday morning, sharing accomplishments of the dealership as well as plans for the future.

“We’re happy to be here,” said Russ Briggs, whose company owns 15 show rooms including the three in Fort Scott. “I want to pick up where Ray Shepherd left off. He had a great vision.”

Already, the dealership has increased the number of vehicles in their fleet, expanding into a lot across Highway 69 from their location. The company plans to continue its expansion be rebuilding some of the current buildings and making the lots more accessible to traffic.

During the Fort Scott City Commission meeting to be held on April 4, the commissioners will discuss the redevelopment plans presented by Briggs, including a proposal that the stoplight to be installed at the S. National Avenue and Highway 69 intersection be a four-way stop instead of just three, allowing easier access to Briggs.

“It’s a big, major part of any community,” Briggs said of car dealerships, which not only provide vehicles to customers but also work closely with banks as they arrange financing.

Briggs said Fort Scott’s is the only location of the company that sells vehicle models from Ford, Chevrolet and Toyota, but they are now able to sell them to customers at other locations via Fort Scott. Though sold out of town, Fort Scott still receives the sales tax from those sales.

The company sells approximately 20-25 vehicles a month that Fort Scott benefits from, and the entire company makes about $400 million a year in sales. The Fort Scott location now provides a number of rental vehicles as well.

Submitted

Update from the Capitol: Adam Lusker

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Several bills passed through the Kansas House this week. Below is a list detailing some of these bills – to see all activity on the House floor this week, please click here: http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/chamber/journals/

Wildfire Relief Bill: HB 2387, an act concerning sales and compensating use tax; exemption for repairing, rebuilding or replacing certain property destroyed by wildfires.

Tax: HB 2162, an act concerning sales taxation; relating to time for payment of tax.

Ad Astra Rural Jobs Act: HB 2168, an act concerning rural economic development; enacting the ad astra rural jobs act.

Health: SB 32, an act relating to mental health care; medical student and resident loan assistance; medical student loan agreements; practice commitment agreements; providing for agreements for the practice of psychiatry; establishing the psychiatry medical loan repayment fund and the rural health bridging psychiatry fund; concerning mental healthcare facilities.

Campaign Finance: Sub HB 2223, an act concerning campaign finance reports for members of the legislature and reports by lobbyists; dealing with civil penalties for late filing of such reports.

State of the Judiciary

On Wednesday, the Kansas Supreme Court justices and the Kansas Court of Appeals judges appeared at the Capitol building to give the State of the Judiciary on the House floor.

Chief Justice Lawton Nuss addressed both the House and Senate, speaking on the troubles facing the courts and their employees, raising awareness of the court’s proposal to raise their budget. This is the first time the Supreme Court has appeared at the Capitol to give the State of the Judiciary since 2012. Due to prior tension with a conservative-dominated legislature, the address has been held at the Judicial Center the last few years. The new House Speaker, Ron Ryckman, re-extended the invitation to the House floor this year.

Resolution for Olathe Shooting

On Thursday, the Kansas House adopted a resolution honoring the life of Srinivas Kuchibhotla and recognizing a united community and state. The resolution condemned the recent shooting in Olathe: “These evil acts do not define us, and they will not divide us.”

The surviving victims of the shooting stood in front of the House chamber to be honored as the resolution was adopted. Read the resolution here. http://www.kslegislature.org/li/b2017_18/measures/hr6023/

Upcoming Events

Legislative Update, Saturday, March 18, 9:30 a.m. at the Pittsburg Public Library.

With the arrival of spring next week, the K-State Research and Extension Office, Southwind District, are offering several gardening workshops:

Herbs – from seed to seasoning workshops. Click here for additional information: http://www.southwind.k-state.edu/docs/Herbs.pdf

Grow it, Prepare it 2017 events—click here for additional information: http://www.southwind.k-state.edu/docs/2017%20Grow%20It%20Prepare%20It.pdf

Pie & Coffee Series—click here for additional information: http://www.southwind.k-state.edu/docs/2017%20Pie%20and%20Coffee%20Series.pdf

Pasture Weed Control—click here for additional information: http://www.southwind.k-state.edu/docs/Pasture%20Weed%20Control%20Flyer%202017.pdf

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 adam.lusker@house.ks.gov. You can also follow the legislative session online at www.kslegislature.org.

Business, Fort Scott

Businesses Face Repairs after Storms

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Area businesses continue to recover after recent storms brought high winds and even hail in the past month.

Stores located near Highway 69 off 12th Street suffered from damages as the roof blew off the building shared by Five Corners Mini Mart, Libation Station, State Farm insurance agent Kale Nelson’s office and The Shop car repair garage.

Nelson is temporarily conducting his services from the second floor of Landmark National Bank while repairs are made to his office. The Five Corners gas station has remained open, but the Libation Station will close while repairs are made to the floors and ceiling.

Briggs Auto Group is also providing discounts on vehicles as each of the cars on their lots received hail damage.

Fort Scott

Local Debate Coach Earns Recognition

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Fort Scott High School debate coach Amber Toth received national recognition recently for her efforts to help her students develop skills in speech and debate, finding success in regional and state competitions in recent years.

The National Speech and Debate Association announced this year’s recipients of the Diamond Coach Award in recent weeks, with 21 speech and debate coaches across the nation receiving those awards for their excellence and longevity in that field with their students.

Toth was awarded the Second Diamond level of the award. Coaches with 1,500 points are given the first diamond, 3,000 points the second diamond, and coaches with 6,000 points are awarded the third diamond. Points are awarded based on team participation, achievement, public service and leadership work.

Toth was the only coach from Kansas awarded. Other states represented included South Dakota, Ohio, California, Florida, Idaho, Texas, Minnesota and others.

The coaches are to be recognized at the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Birmingham, Al., in June, which is attended annually by more than 7,000 students, coaches and parents.

Fort Scott

BRCC Celebrates St. Patrick’s Day

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Families had an opportunity to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day at the Buck Run Community Center Saturday morning, participating in a number of crafts and other themed activities.

The facility provides a number of events celebrating holidays throughout the year. The next event will be held in honor of Easter on April 15, and will feature crafts, face-painting and snacks. Pre-registration is encouraged so sufficient materials can be provided.

Opinion

Patty LaRoche: Changing Children’s Lives with Shoes

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Then the little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them; and the disciples rebuked those who brought them. But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them. For the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these. And after He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there… Matthew 19:13-15

Andrew and I had driven to Urias, Mazatlan’s poorest colonia, to work with the ministry team there. Andrew was frustrated. Placing his hands on the shoulders of Estelle, a mother of five, he translated to me in English the scolding he was giving her in Spanish. Two of her sons, Paco, 10, and Miguel, 11, stood by her side. They are part of Andrew’s Bible study/soccer program.

The mother’s life is not to be envied. As a dump scrounger, she works 10 hours a day sifting through trash, looking for recyclables. Five children depend on her $8.00 a day wage. Paco and Miguel are not in school, and Andrew was warning their mother that the drug cartel would find them if they continue to walk the streets all day. The police had already been called to stop the boys’ gang fights, so this was not going to end well.

“Paco has no school shoes,” his mother explained. Andrew turned to the youngster and asked if he would go to school if he had shoes. He would. Andrew told him to meet us by his car when the Bible study/soccer match was over. When questioned about her oldest son, the mother insisted he attends school. She had “found shoes in a second-hand store.” Andrew asked to see the shoes and the boy’s report card. She hustled across her dirt road into a house no bigger than a single car garage, and within a few minutes, returned with the ragtag shoes and the paperwork.

Cecilia, her older daughter, joined our conversation. She, a senior, wants to be a cosmetologist and works with her mother at the dump. I made a mental note to contact Debbie Rodriguez, owner of the local beauty salon, who dedicates her life to helping others. I asked Cecilia if she would stick with cosmetology if someone sponsored her to attend. She would.

Andrew then pointed to Roots and Wings, a two-story, under-construction, adobe building on the corner. It is a ministry started by Robin and Rochelle, 25-year-old American, Christian women. They came to Mazatlan on vacation four years ago, saw the desperation of the dump scrounger families, and opened a small day care for six children. Because of others’ generosity, within two years a 1,600 square foot facility was built, and now a second floor is being added. Today they—and local volunteers—teach more than 20 young children about Jesus Christ. The two women, like Andrew, live out Matthew 19:13-15.

As our day came to a close, Andrew and I packed up our things and headed to the car. Waiting there was Paco. “Jump in,” Andrew told him in Spanish, and he did. Paco contained his excitement. I couldn’t. Once we were in the shoe store, even the attendant seemed to catch on. She said nothing about Roberto’s dirty feet, but instead handed him a sock, telling him it would help the new shoe go on easier.

Within ten minutes we were driving Roberto back to his colonia. If we heard “Gracias” once, we heard it five times. A pair of shoes would change Paco’s direction forever. The Christian volunteers in Urias know the kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these, and, putting feet to their faith, live sacrificially for these children to end up there. I owe them a huge thanks for allowing me to tag along and be a part of their ministry. So here it is: Gracias, Andrew, Robin and Rochelle.

But most of all, Gracias, Jesucristo.

Fort Scott

Press Release: Unloaded Gun Brought to Eugene Ware

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Fort Scott Police Department Press Release

On March 15, 2017, at approximately 07:47 hours, the Fort Scott School Resource Officer responded to 900 E. 3rd (Eugene Ware Elementary) to meet with school administration. Upon arrival it was discovered a 10-year-old boy had brought an unloaded handgun to school. After a subsequent investigation, officers learned that no adults or students had been threatened with the gun and two juveniles were taken into custody.

This case is still under investigation and all suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty in the court of law.

Business, Fort Scott

Tri-Valley Prepares for Bi-Annual Auction

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Tri-Valley Developmental Services will hold their bi-annual Gardener’s Christmas Auction Saturday, March 25, with doors opening at 9:30 a.m. and the auction closing at noon.

The silent auction will benefit the Horticulture Therapy program, which began more than a decade ago and is used to serve those with intellectual disabilities as well as impact the community by providing plants that are used to decorate downtown and Gunn Park or are provided for fundraising events.

“Our clients do get a lot out of that,” director Tim Cunningham said of the program, which gives participants an opportunity to take care of plants as well as take part in other projects.

Barbara McCord said some of the plant beds and other materials used in the greenhouse are starting to wear out and need repairs or replacements.

“The last few years have been very difficult for us,” Cunningham said, saying because of limited funds from the state, they have to raise the funds needed to provide for the horticultural program.

McCord said the silent auction often brings in about $5,000 to support the program. This year, more than 120 items are available to be bid on, and they will be accepting gently used gardening items through March 22, to be available for auction as well.

“It is a lifesaver for us,” McCord said of the event and the funds raised.

 

Bourbon County, Business

Chamber Presents Awards During Annual Dinner

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The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce sold more than 200 tickets to their annual Dinner and Awards Celebration held Thursday evening, when a number of individuals and businesses were recognized and Kansas Department of Commerce Secretary Antonio Soave spoke.

The theme of this year’s dinner was “Made in Greater Fort Scott,” and emphasized the variety of services and commerce available in the city and county.

“We are thankful to celebrate the businesses, individuals and our community that we have here in Fort Scott and Bourbon County,” chamber Executive Director Lindsay Madison said.

“Fort Scott has touched my heart deeply,” said Soave, who married his Fort Scott native wife in the city, and referred to his first visits to Fort Scott as an adventure as he became familiar with a smaller town.

Soave said he has heard people describe people from smaller towns as genuine and authentic. Although the city of Fort Scott has its own issues, as does every city, Soave said there is an authentic beauty that is innate in towns like Fort Scott, as well as attributes such as commitment, conviction, integrity, honor, decency, humility and hard work.

“Smaller communities in Kansas are sacred, and I have come to learn that,” Soave said, saying those communities are determined to never give up, but to thrive. “If we lose our small towns, we lose our identity…There is a quality of life in a smaller town that you will never get in a big city.”

Soave referenced the Kansas motto, ‘To the stars through difficulty,’ and said that is the mission of the state and Fort Scott, as they strive to grow the town through expanding the economy and increasing available jobs.

“We have to continue to attract more companies to these areas,” Soave said. “And when they know the inherent value that’s here—the goodness, the decency, the hard work, the resilience of the people—then they will invariably continue to choose areas like this.”

The chamber honored a number of businesses and individuals for that kind of investment they have made in Fort Scott.

Awards and recipients included Young Professional of the Year Bailey Lyons, the Community Spirit award given to the Fort Scott Good Ol’ Days board, the Agri-Business of the Year award presented to The Butcher Block, New Business of the Year given to Shiney Studios, Businessperson of the year Bill Michaud, Business of the Year given to Ward/Kraft, Mayor JoLynne Mitchell’s citizenship award given to Elizabeth Schafer, and the Keystone Award presented to Dick and Jan Hedges for their involvement in the community.

A number of businesses participated in the evening by providing live and silent auction items or sponsoring a table, including businesses such as Fort Scott Community College, the city of Fort Scott, Mercy Hospital, Cheney Witt Funeral Chapel, The Bunker, Briggs AutoGroup and a number of others including banks, restaurants and other businesses.

Bourbon County Local News