Governor Colyer Orders Flags to be Flown at Half-staff in Honor of First Lady Barbara Bush
Topeka – In accordance with Executive Order 10-12, and the proclamation of President Donald J. Trump, Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the life of former First Lady Barbara Bush.
“When I worked in the Bush White House I had the pleasure of getting to know Barbara. She was truly a remarkable woman and an inspiration to all,” said the Governor. “As one of only two women to be the wife and mother of a President, her legacy will live on. The Bush family is in our prayers.”
In accordance with the White House proclamation, the flag should be flown at half-staff beginning today until sundown on the day of Mrs. Bush’s interment.
Fort Scott Community Development Director Rhonda Dunn shows the deterioration of the planters on Skubitz Plaza that will be demolished and a new tourism sign installed.
An unsightly part of Skubitz Plaza is being redeveloped by the City of Fort Scott to showcase a sign that depicts the city’s history.
The plans were approved by the city commissioners Tuesday evening.
Plans are for all parts to be completed by the Good Ol Days annual celebration, the end of May this year.
Two brick planters on Old Fort Boulevard at the north end of Main Street have been repeatedly hit by vehicles turning right.
The planters that will be taken down are the closest to the camera. They are located on Skubitz Plaza at the north end of Main Street in downtown Fort Scott. The new tourism panel will be placed to the east of the planter on the left.
“We’ve repaired it a number of times,” Rhonda Dunn, the city’s community development director said.
“This has been a long-term project for several years,” she said.
Serendipitously, a proposal for a new sign for tourism came along, she said.
“There is no downside to this,” Dunn said. “The broken planter will be gone and a new by-ways sign will go up.”
The new Frontier Military Historic Byway sign panels will depict the history of Fort Scott and some tourism highlights as well.
Dunn shows the spot where the new tourism sign will be installed, out of the way of traffic.
The place where the western planter is currently will be an open space, the eastern planter will be removed also, then the by-ways sign installed, just slightly to the east.
City workers will remove and salvage brick that can be reused, Dunn said.
To view click on the links below, then click on the image to enlarge:
The Fort Scott Ministerial Alliance, 1st Row: President Don Flanner, Hiattville United Methodist; Treasurer Allen Schellack, Fort Scott Compassionate Ministries; Luke Anker, Mercy Health Center Chaplain. 2nd Row: Eric Going, Parkway Church of God (Holiness), Melissa George, Mercy Health Center Hospice Chaplain. 3rd Row: Rod Scherencel, Seventh Day Adventist Church; Secretary Steve Cole, First United Methodist.
FortScott.Biz is doing a series of features on United Way of Bourbon County Grant recipients.
The Bourbon County Ministerial Alliance is a recipient of a grant from United Way.
Following is an interview with Allen Schellack, treasurer for the alliance.
He can be reached at [email protected]
or by phone at 620-223-2212, or PO Box 774, Fort Scott, KS 66701.
What service do you provide to our community?
The Hospitality Fund is designed to extend physical assistance to persons and/or families traveling through Fort Scott that have no other resources and need help to reach their destination. The fund also meets physical needs of the residents of Bourbon County.
The alliance coordinates area nursing home services, Thanksgiving and Easter Services, Fort Scott High School Baccalaureate Service, and “See You At The Pole” Services.
How many people are served?
We usually assist an average of 45 persons/families a year.
Service hours?
The Hospitality Fund is distributed by the Fort Scott Police Dept. under the guidelines of the Ministerial Alliance. Therefore, help is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Also, a board member can be contacted any time by the police dept. or a local church not a part of the Alliance for assistance.
What percentage of your budget is the United Way Grant?
The Hospitality Fund is funded 100% by The United Way. Our other services are funded through annual membership dues and private donations.
Governor Colyer Calls for China to Cease Unfair Trading Practices
“The announcement of China’s intent to place a nearly 179 percent tariff on U.S. sorghum will have a devastating effect on the Kansas agriculture industry and thus the Kansas economy.
Kansas is the top sorghum producer in the United States – in the last 3 years, Kansas exported nearly $416 million in sorghum to China. Any effort to restrict the ability to export sorghum directly hits the pocketbook of farmers across Kansas.
Foreign market access is critical to Kansas agriculture at all times, but especially when our farmers are dealing with challenges brought on by low commodity prices and extreme weather conditions. Instead of targeting fairly traded U.S. exports, China should immediately stop its unfair trading practices.
“I have already spoken to our partners at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture this morning. They are working diligently on this issue. As Governor, I will continue to fight alongside the Kansas congressional delegation for our agricultural industry and will find a meaningful solution to this issue. Kansas farmers cannot afford a delay in action.”
TOPEKA – Governor Colyer today signed Sub. Senate Bill 423, appropriating an increase of more than $500 million in K-12 funding over the next five years, at a ceremony at Seaman High School in Topeka.
The bill, which aims to provide adequate and equitable funding for all Kansas schools, was passed by the legislature moments before they adjourned their regular session in early April.
“Kansas wants to lead the way in education,” said the Governor. “I’m very proud to sign this legislation as it means more money in the classroom, more accountability measures and a focus on student outcomes. Most importantly, it keeps our schools open without raising taxes on hardworking Kansas families.”
The Governor also called on the Legislature to fix the error that inadvertently decreased expenditures to schools by $80 million. “It’s important that we get this right,” said the Governor.
Governor Colyer was joined by several legislators including president of the Seaman School Board, Chairman Fred Patton, and Representative Brenda Dietrich.
The Governor has now signed 57 bills into law this session. By law, the Kansas governor has 10 calendar days to sign bills into law, veto bills or allow bills to become law without his signature.
The Fort Scott High School Theatre Department, under the direction of FSHS Thespian Director Angie Bin, has been selected to perform at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest and most prestigious arts festival, as part of the American High School Theatre Festival (AHSTF).
Each August, Edinburgh, Scotland becomes the most magical and exciting place on earth as performing artists from all over the world take part in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The whole city becomes a stage and visitors can view performances everywhere from playgrounds to conference rooms, from city parks to churches.
The Fringe Festival includes over 3,000 different performances of music, theatre, dance, and comedy during its three-week run.
Fort Scott High School’s performance will be showcased as a part of AHSTF in the summer of 2019.
Fort Scott High School, recognized for its entertaining and innovative productions, was selected by the AHSTF Board of Advisors, made up of college theatre professionals, to represent our community as part of the 2018 AHSTF program.
The Board reviews all completed applications and identifies the top high schools based on their most recent bodies of work, awards, community involvement, philosophies, and recommendations.
While in Scotland, AHSTF’s professional Technical Team ensures that the company’s lighting, sound, and property needs are addressed.
WorldStrides, the nation’s oldest and largest student travel company, will be making the travel arrangements for each high school group. The trip includes two days in London, England and ten days in Edinburgh in August of 2019.
A parent meeting for all FSHS performing art students interested in traveling and their parents will be held April 24 at 7:45 p.m. in Room 401 at the High School.
On Saturday, April 28 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., local law enforcement and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will give the public an opportunity to prevent pill abuse and theft by ridding their homes of potentially dangerous expired, unused, and unwanted prescription drugs. Bring your medications to the parking lot of Mercy Convenient Care at 1624 S. National for free, anonymous, “no questions asked” disposal.
Prescription Drug Take-Back Day is made possible through the partnership of Bourbon County Sherriff’s Department, the Fort Scott Police Department and Mercy Hospital Pharmacy.
This initiative addresses a vital public safety and public health issue. Medicines that languish in home cabinets are highly susceptible to diversion, misuse, and abuse. Rates of prescription drug abuse in the U.S. are alarmingly high, as are the number of accidental poisonings and overdoses due to these drugs. Studies show that a majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family and friends, including from the home medicine cabinet. In addition, Americans are now advised that their usual methods for disposing of unused medicines—flushing them down the toilet or throwing them in the trash—both pose potential safety and health hazards.
Amy Heitman, a welder at Niece Equipment LLC Kansas, 3904 Liberty Bell Road in Fort Scott’s Industrial Park.
Amy Heitman never imagined she’d grow up to be a welder.
“I didn’t know anything about it,” she told the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee attendees. “I took a welding course in high school, I grew to have a passion for it.”
Heitman started researching why there weren’t more women welders and found only two percent of welders are women, she said.
“In the war (World War II) women stepped in to do jobs,” she said. “When men came back, women were pushed back. In manufacturing now, it’s predicted there is a shortage of 400,000.”
Rosie the Riveter, an American iconic poster, featured during World War II.
“I’m a welder and I weigh 107 pounds,” Heitman said. And “I’m building water tanks.”
“We are still building this world, if we don’t have welders and manufacturers, where does that leave America? ”
“I’m encouraging people to step up to non-traditional spots,” she said. “I want to help women know they can step up.”
Heitman welds and fabricates the metal pieces in water tanks that the Niece Equipment builds, she said in a later interview.
“I do some of the internal plumbing on the piping,” she said.
The facility she works in is climate controlled: fans in the summer and heat in the winter.
Heitman said there are 40 employees at Niece and of those, approximately nine are welders.
The salary range for the welding positions range from $15 to $19 per hours, she said.
Heitman, 25, and husband, Josh Heitman moved to Fort Scott from Austin, Texas in January 2018.
She worked for Niece Equipment in Austin and was recruited to Fort Scott.
They have two children, Gabriel and Ayden. Because it was in the middle of the school year, Ayden stayed behind in Austin with his grandmother temporarily. Ayden has autism.
“Because of his autism, I didn’t want to bring him yet, into something completely new…it would throw him off,” Heitman said.
Her first impression of Fort Scott: “I was enchanted,” she said.
“This is the kind of place I want to raise my kids,” she said.
“There is not a ton of things to do like in Austin, but so many things the whole community gets involved in. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Heitman got connected with Fort Scott Community College and together they are working on a plan to talk to high school students that tour the school, she said.
She is going to try to solve the issue of getting more people into non-traditional careers where they are needed.
Amy Heitman speaks to the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce weekly coffee attendees Thursday morning at Fort Scott Community College’s Arnold Arena. City Manager Dave Martin listens in the background.
