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Think Safety as Christmas Lights Help Keep Holidays Bright

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Submitted story

As Thanksgiving leftovers are packed into the refrigerator, talk of Christmas decorating starts to fill the air. Awareness can help ensure that holiday lights and decorations are installed and operated safely. Westar Energy offers the following tips.

Lighting safety

Before using strands of lights or other decorations, check them for signs of damage, paying special attention to electrical cords. Signs of wear or fraying cords mean that lights may be unsafe and should be replaced.

Consider replacing incandescent bulbs with LEDs. New LED bulbs use less energy and produce less heat than their older counterparts.

Avoid overload

Don’t overload power outlets by stringing together too many strands of lights or plugging too many into a single outlet. Lighting packages may say how many strands can be safely combined. Using surge strips with built-in circuit breakers can also protect against overload.

Outdoor decoration safety

Before raising a ladder, climbing a tree or securing an inflatable, look up for nearby powerlines. If climbing onto tree limbs, make sure the extra weight will not cause limbs to contact power lines. Contact with overhead power lines can severely injure or kill someone.

Be sure that lights, decorations and extension cords used outdoors are designed for outside use, which may include exposure to wet weather. Cords with surge protectors are recommended.

Ensure that lights are fastened securely. Avoid stringing lights on metal decorations or fences that could become charged, creating the risk of electric shock.

As Kansas’ largest electric utility, Westar Energy, Inc. (NYSE:WR) provides customers the safe, reliable electricity needed to power their businesses and homes. We have 7,800 MW of electric generation capacity that includes renewables and traditional power sources with half the electricity supplied to our more than 700,000 customers from emissions-free sources: nuclear, wind and solar, with a third coming from renewables. We are a leader in electric transmission in Kansas coordinating a network of lines and substations that supports one of the largest consolidations of wind energy in the nation. Our employees live, volunteer and work in the communities we serve. 

For more information about Westar Energy, visit us on the Internet at http://www.WestarEnergy.com. Westar Energy is on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/westarenergy and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/WestarEnergy.

 

Fort Scott

Fall Extravaganza Photos

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Shoppers descended on Fort Scott Middle School November 20 for the VIP Fall Extravaganza annual fundraising event which benefits students.

“Our 9th annual Fall Extravaganza went very well,” said Stephanie George, VIP president. ” We made $1,400 (in vendor booth rental). Overall, vendors seemed pleased with the turnout. I saw lots of customers with shopping bags and baked goods, so hopefully they were able to get a lot of their holiday gifts and treats taken care of at our event.”

Shoppers visit booths at the VIP Fall Extravaganza at Fort Scott Middle School Monday evening.
Betsy Reichard, The Lavender Patch.
Sue Reinecke, Locust Hill Lamanchas, visits with a customer about her goat’s milk products.
Serious shopping.
Unique homemade gifts.
Stacey Atkins tells about her assortment of jellies, jams, and marmalades.
Local authors Joyce Love and Carol Russell display their books.
Jason Tourtillott shows one of his Tourtillot Creations.
Redbud Nursery’s fresh pine trees and wreaths created a Christmas smell and ambiance to the event.
Georgia Brown of Sunshine Boutique visits with customers during Fall Extravaganza.
Rochelle Casner tells customers about SeneGence products.
Area News, Bourbon County

Bourbon County Commission Agenda Nov. 21

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The Bourbon County Commission meets on the second floor of the courthouse, 210 S. National Avenue at 9 a.m. Tuesdays.

1st District is Lynne Oharah, 2nd District-Jeff Fischer,  3rd District-Nick Ruhl, County Clerk-Kendell Mason.

Here is the agenda for the meeting November 21, 2017

9:00-9:45-Jim Harris

9:45-10:15-Commissioners consider and take action on any and all questions or issues which may arise regarding the law enforcement project.

10:30-Solid Waste Resolution

11:00-Justin Meeks

12:00-1:30-Commissioners gone to lunch

1:45-Carla Nemecek-Extension Update

2:00-Clint Anderson-Counter and Flooring

2:30-Employee Handbook

Justifications for Executive Session:

· Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel

· Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship

· Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency

· Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships

· Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property

· Matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system

Bourbon County, Fort Scott

Free Dance Lessons

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Submitted photo and story.

Free 1800s dance lessons will be taught on Saturday, December 2, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Grand Hall on the grounds of Fort Scott National Historic Site.

“The city of Fort Scott is hosting a number of holiday events this day as well as the  Candlelight Tour on Friday and Saturday evening at Fort Scott National Historic Site so come spend the day in Fort Scott,” said Dee Young, organizer of the dance lessons, and volunteer at the fort.

“Come join us for some fun and exercise while we learn some new dances and practice some old ones. For the beginner as well as anyone who just loves dancing 1800s period dances. Street clothes are fine. No partner is needed. If you care not to dance just come and enjoy watching. See you on December 2!”

The lessons are taught by volunteers at the fort.

Area News, Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Robotic Milking Comes To Foster Dairy

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Braving the dropping temperatures, around 250 visitors took advantage of the Foster Dairy Farm Open House Saturday.

The Foster family was showcasing their transition from milking their cows in a 12-cow parlor to milking them robotically.  Since September 2016 their cows have 24 hours a day, 7 days a week access to being voluntarily milked.

“An interesting fact is the Kansas Department of Agriculture gave me statistics adjusted for 2017 about our farm,” David Foster said.

“The Bourbon County dairy industry has a direct economic benefit effect to our county of $11.5 million and provides 25 jobs,” Foster said. “The dairy industry provides 1.2 percent of the gross revenues for the county. We are doing quite a bit from our little farm.”

Lynda and Gary Foster and their eldest son David and his wife, Addi Foster are the owners of the dairy farm located southwest of Fort Scott at 1037 Hwy. 39.

In addition to tours of the facility, a meal was provided tour attendees, along with door prizes. Sponsors helping with the tour were Producer’s Cooperative of Girard who cooked the burgers, brats and hot dogs that were served, DFA/Midwest Dairy, UMB Bank, Seneca Dairy Supply, Uniontown FFA, Fort Scott FFA  and Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce.

A sign on the wall in the robot milking room tells of the productivity of Foster Dairy for one day and one cow. The majority of their milk goes to a Hiland Dairy processing plant.
The robot arm cleans the teat cups with heated steam, followed by a short rinse with water. The milk is suctioned off to a nearby container, where it is analyzed for milk production and quality, cow health and cow activity.
David Foster tells about the robots that feed, milk the cows and analyze the milk product. Foster is the fourth generation on this family farm, southwest of Fort Scott in the Hiattville area.
David Foster speaks to a tour group in the robotics room at Foster Dairy Saturday during its open house. The robots that store and analyze the milk are behind Foster. In between these robots, the cattle come in voluntarily and are milked by a robotic arm.
Some of the Foster Dairy cows lie down in a sand-bedded stall in a barn, while others come to greet the people who came to the open house at the Foster Farm Saturday.
David Foster, a dairyman along with his wife, Addi, and his parents, Lynda and Gary Foster, gave  tours  Saturday during the Foster Dairy Farm Open House.
David Foster tells about the different feeds given to his herd of dairy cattle, during one of the tours. Whole cottonseed is the commodity in this barn.
Farm visitor Gabby George has a handful of the whole cottonseed that is part of a mix of ingredients available to the cattle  24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Each calf has its own shelter to protect from the elements.
Farm tour visitors Gunner and Gabby George enjoy getting the attention of a calf.

See more about the Foster Dairy on its Facebook page.

Bourbon County

KState Extension: Cool-Season Grasses Invading Warm-Season Pastures

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Submitted by Christopher Petty

According to University of Nebraska Extension Professor Bruce Anderson, native, warm-season grass pastures often get overtaken by cool-season grasses like cheatgrass, downy brome and fescue.

When fescue, bromes, and other cool-season plants invade warm-season grass pastures and rangeland, they shift good grazing away from summer.

Cool-season grasses take over summer pastures relatively easily because they develop rapidly during fall and spring when native grass provides little competition. Then they use moisture and nutrients during spring before warm-season plants have a chance to use them.

Heavy grazing now this fall after warm-season plants have gone dormant after a hard freeze as well as grazing very early next spring will weaken and reduce competition from these cool-season grasses. This limits further invasion and slowly improves summer production. A prescribed spring burn also can do wonders for a warm-season pasture if you have enough fuel to carry a fire and can conduct the burn safely and legally.

An even faster approach is to apply glyphosate herbicides like Roundup after a couple hard freezes in late fall. Hard freezes turn warm-season plants dormant but the weedy cool-season grasses remain green. Apply glyphosate when temperatures during the day are above 60 degrees and nighttime temperatures stay above 40 degrees for best results. This will kill or weaken the green and susceptible cool-season weedy grasses, but not affect dormant warm-season plants. By reducing competition, warm-season plants will grow more vigorously next year and provide better summer pasture.

Don’t settle for invaded native pasture. Transform them back to vigorous warm-season grasses for better summer grazing.

Obituary

Obituary: Alberta Marie Fisher

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Submitted by Cheney Witt Funeral Home

Alberta Marie Fisher, age 76, a resident of Franklin, Kan., passed away Tuesday, November 14, 2015, at the Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kan.

She was born March 3, 1941, in Fort Scott, Kan., the daughter of Albert Combs and Ruth Ballinger Combs. Alberta graduated from the Fort Scott High School with the Class of 1959. She married Larry Wilson and he preceded her in death. She later married Darryl Fisher on September 14, 2006, at Eureka Springs, Ark. In earlier years, Alberta had worked for both the Western Insurance and Key Industries in Fort Scott. She later worked for many years in the Physical Department of Pittsburg State University. Alberta enjoyed music and in younger years, played the violin. She also enjoyed antiquing and sewing, but above all she cherished the moments with her family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was a woman of faith and attended the Open Door Fellowship Church.

Survivors include her husband, Darryl, of the home; a son, Billie Budd, Jr., and wife, Vicki; two daughters, Cindy Schroeder and Terri Hoffman and husband, Bryan; a step-son, Larry Wilson, Jr., and wife, Carla and a step-daughter, Jean Culver and husband, Darryl; 17 grandchildren and several great-grandchildren. Also surviving are a brother, Al Combs and wife Kathy, and a sister, Sherry Hendrickson. In addition to her husband, Larry, she was preceded in death by two step-sons, Ronnie Wilson and Michael Fisher; a step-daughter, Janet Anderson and two sisters, Linda Carpenter and Beverly McReynolds.

Rev. Don Talent will conduct funeral services at 10 a.m. Saturday, November 18, at the Open Door Fellowship Church, 918 W. 20th St., in Pittsburg. Burial will follow in the Crocker Cemetery south of Pittsburg. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to Care to Share and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Obituary

Obituary: Wendy Sue Arnold

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Submitted by Cheney Witt Funeral Home

Wendy Sue Arnold, age 66, of Kansas City, passed away Friday, November 10, 2017, at the Medicalodge of Girard.

Memorial graveside service will be held at 11 a.m. Wednesday, November 15, 2017, at the Evergreen Cemetery, in Fort Scott, Kan., under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel.  The family will receive friends from noon to 2 p.m. after the graveside service at the Carriage House, 101 S Main St, Fort Scott, Kansas.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online quest book atcheneywitt.com.

 

Opinion

Patty LaRoche: Interruptions

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“I don’t mean to interrupt people. I just randomly remember things and get really excited.” I saw that plaque in a diner and knew exactly what it meant. If I don’t share my thoughts immediately, they will be gone…immediately. Still, I force myself to refrain because it’s downright rude to interrupt. I mean, how many times have you been telling a story when someone one-ups you or changes the subject and takes over the conversation? Without ever asking you to finish yours? I-R-R-I-T-A-T-I-N-G!

A newly-purchased sign, hanging in my step-daughter’s kitchen, counters that quote. “Oh, I’m sorry. Did the middle of my sentence interrupt the beginning of yours?” Nikki purchased it, hoping a relative gets the point.

And no, I am not that relative.

I’m really not.

On the day of the eclipse, I was at my friend Marti’s house. She was watching her granddaughter, Isabel, and was explaining the solar phenomenon to her. As Marti and I talked, Isabel exploded with random thoughts. Each time, Marti gently told her granddaughter that the adults were visiting and she needed to wait her turn. Isabel tried to be patient, and then she did what every well-mannered child does when she can wait no longer—she raised her hand and waved it frantically. Her behavior was delightful.

Many adults could learn from her example.

Of course, we all know that all interrupting is not bad. Some news should not wait, like telling me my chicken enchiladas are on fire or the neighbor’s dog is chewing on my patio furniture. In reality, life is all about interruptions, isn’t it? Henry Nouwen, a Roman Catholic priest and theologian, wrote, “My whole life I have been complaining that my work was constantly interrupted, until I discovered my interruptions were my work.” I get it. Most of my articles are based on something happening I wasn’t expecting.

Our life’s narrative is constantly being rewritten because of interruptions. In the past year, several of my friends have found that to be true. Cancer. A hurricane. An unexpected pregnancy. Divorce. Bankruptcy. Addiction. Mental illness. Death.

The Bible is jam-packed with interruptions. A young girl’s life was interrupted to be told that she would bring the Messiah into the world. Jesus was constantly interrupted by evil spirits or arrogant religious teachers, moments that gave him an opportunity to remind his listeners of grace. Judas interrupted Jesus’ celebration of the Passover with his disciples and again with his prayer time in the Garden, all leading up to the incredible sadness after Jesus’ death being interrupted by the life-changing news that his grave was empty.

And for those whose lives are based on that resurrection, there remains one final interruption for which we must be prepared. We find it in Thessalonians 1:16-17: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

It’s an interruption we can’t afford to miss.

Obituary

Obituary: Patricia E. Garrison

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Submitted by Cheney Witt Funeral Home

Patricia E. Garrison, age 75, a resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Saturday, November 11, 2017, at Presbyterian Village in Fort Scott.

She was born on August 22, 1942, in Fort Scott, the daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Keating Sheehy. She graduated from Hume High School. She was a dedicated homemaker who also worked through the years for Sears in Iola and Fort Scott and Security State Bank in Fort Scott. She was a volunteer for the hospital and the church. She was an awesome mother, step-mother, grandmother and aunt. Her grandchildren and great grandchildren were her pride and joy. Patricia was an active member of Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church.

Survivors include her son Jeff Locke and wife Michelle, Satanta, Kan.; three step-sons, James Garrison, Phoenix, Ariz., Jon Garrison and wife Marianne, Fort Scott, and Jeff Garrison and wife Barbara, DeSoto, Kan.; a sister, Mary Kay Johnson and husband Charlie, Prescott, Kan.; a sister-in-law, Mary Beth Sheehy, Fort Scott; nine grandchildren, Megan Underwood, Matthew Locke, Morgan Locke, Mason Locke, Joseph Garrison, Christina Adams, Jacob Garrison, Joshua Garrison and Cole Oberg; seven great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death her husband, Jim Garrison; three brothers, twin Patrick Sheehy, John Sheehy, and Bill Sheehy; a sister, Elizabeth Alt; and twin infant siblings Mary and Joseph Sheehy.

Father Robert Wachter will conduct services at 10 a.m. Thursday, November 16, at the Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church. Burial will follow in the St. Michael’s Cemetery, Fulton, Kan. The Rosary will be prayed at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. The family will receive friends following from 6 until 8. Memorials are suggested to St. Mary’s Catholic School and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

Obituary

Obituary: Calvin Lewis Pitts

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Submitted by Cheney Witt Funeral Home

Calvin Lewis Pitts, age 90, a resident of Fort Scott, died Saturday, November 11, 2017, at the Franklin House.

He was born November 15, 1926, in Pawnee, Kan., the son of Harry Pitts and Nola Elizabeth Inman. He married Grace Wiggans, March 7, 1953, they later divorced. He then married Mary Louise Whitlock, May 28, 1971. She preceded him in death on November 12, 2008. He loved fishing, hunting, gardening and scrapping junk. He was a past member of the Olson Frary Burkhart Post #1165. Calvin liked to ask people “How old do you think I am?” or “I’m older than I Look.”

Calvin is survived by his children; son, Ed Pitts and wife Luanne, daughter, Nola Smith and husband Richard, both of Redfield, and a step-son, Carl Hall, of Pittsburg; six grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his wife; parents; five brothers, Jim, John, Harold, Eldon and Kenneth “Pete” Pitts; five sisters, Helen Hood, Grace Buford, Josephine Michaels, Juanita Schroder, and Rowena Hines; and two stepbrothers Ed and Dave Lusk.

Rev. Chuck Russell will conduct funeral services at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, November 15, 2017, at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery, with military honors provided by the Olson Frary Burkhart Post #1165 V. F. W. The Family will receive friends from 5:30 to 7 p.m.Tuesday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.  Memorials are suggested to the V.F.W. or Care to Share and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, Fort Scott, KS 66701.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

 

Bourbon County Local News