I had just walked in the kitchen and placed my grocery bags on the counter when I lost all power to the house. I immediately called the electric company and Tom showed up within minutes. It didn’t take long to fix the problem, so I asked him what had caused the power failure. He said that a Starling had stuck it’s beak where it didn’t belong and blew the fuse at the top of the electric pole. After he left, I searched for the fried bird and, sure enough, his feet were curled up and he was dead as a doornail. I thought of putting up a sign that read: “At the bottom of this pole lies a big, big bird.” (You’d have to be my age or older to remember the #1 country hit, “Big Bad John” by Jimmy Dean.)
Starlings have a bad reputation because they peck and ruin fruit in the orchards, get sucked into aircraft engines, and their poop is corrosive to buildings. These birds are annoying nuisances because they get into other people’s business and cause a great deal of harm. We humans have a tendency to stick our noses into other people’s business too. Usually we’re just trying to help, but oftentimes it backfires and a good relationship becomes strained. Just because we have an opinion doesn’t mean we should share it — some things are just better left unsaid.
God’s Word gives Christ followers some excellent guidelines about minding our own business. “Stay calm, mind your own business; do your own job. You’ve heard all this from us [Paul, Silas, and Timothy] before, but a reminder never hurts” (1 Thessalonians 4:11 MSG). If we stay out of other people’s affairs we’ll have less stress in our lives. I admit there’s a fine line between loving an individual enough to speak wisdom into his/her life and butting in when we shouldn‘t. We must be led by the Holy Spirit in this matter, and also remember that prayer changes people when words of concern or advice can’t.
“Suppose you suffer. Then it shouldn’t be because you are a murderer or a thief. It shouldn’t be because you do evil things. It shouldn’t be because you poke your nose into other people’s business” (1 Peter 4:15 NIRV). When we respect other’s boundaries and privacy, we can steer clear of unnecessary drama. Let’s remember that we invested 18 to 22 years to love and teach our now-adult children. Cutting the apron strings and tossing the training wheels enables them to be independent and find their God-given place in life.
“Also, they [young widows] learn to be lazy by going from house to house. They are not only lazy, but they also become gossips and busybodies, talking about things they shouldn’t” (1 Timothy 5:13 CEB). It’s simply a common courtesy not to blab other people’s business. Everyone needs to stay busy running their own life, not someone else’s. I grew up watching the TV show, “Hee Haw” and I remember four goofy women singing this silly song: “Now, we’re not ones to go ‘round spreadin’ rumors. Why really, we’re just not the gossipy kind. Oh you’ll never hear one of us repeating gossip. So you better be sure and listen close the first time!”
“…we hear that some of you are living idle lives, refusing to work and meddling in other people’s business” (2 Thessalonians 3:11 NLT). If we work and take care of our personal responsibilities, we won’t have time to be curious about our friends’ business. Curious George was always getting into trouble because he was…too curious.
The Key: Keep your beak out of other people’s business so that nobody blows a fuse.
This year has been a challenging year for crop production, especially corn, with above-average temperatures and below-average rainfall. Some fields will have a very limited yield, but regardless of the reduced yield, we need to be prepared to minimize yield losses that can occur during harvest operations.
Harvest inefficiency reduces overall yield and can cause future problems because of volunteer corn. Volunteer corn may have some value by increasing the soil organic matter, providing cover to reduce soil erosion, or providing potential forage for grazing livestock. However, volunteer corn may cause problems for wheat planting after corn harvest, or in a wheat-corn-fallow cropping system by using valuable soil moisture and nutrients needed to promote fall tillering in wheat. Volunteer corn can also provide a “green bridge” of vegetation for insects that can carry viral diseases in wheat.
Several factors may contribute to poor harvest efficiency in corn. Most of the kernel loss that occurs at harvest time is due to mechanical limitations with combine settings. A combine performs three major actions during the harvest operation: picking, threshing, and cleaning. Grain loss can occur at each of these stages. A detailed description of harvesting efficiency can be found in the KSRE publication “Corn Production Handbook” beginning on page 36. The Handbook is available online at https://www.bookstore.ksre.ksu.edu/pubs/c560.pdf. A detailed article on reducing grain loss with proper combine settings will be in next week’s eUpdate.
Yield loss estimates are made by counting the number of kernels per square foot and dividing by 2 (Figure 3). The number of kernels per square foot is approximately twice the bushels per acre lost. To estimate the yield loss, count the number of kernels in a square foot, and divide by 2 (or multiple by 0.5). For example, a count of 20 kernels per square foot would indicate 10 bu/acre lost during harvest.
While it may be time-consuming to count kernels over a large area, it is important to get a good estimate of yield loss by counting kernels and ears from several locations in the field, and also including both header and thresher losses. Changes can then be made in the harvest operation and to the combine to improve the harvest efficiency. It is also important to check for field losses at different times of the day when harvesting and on different fields. Changes in weather conditions (moisture and temperature) or other factors may impact harvest efficiency.
While harvest efficiency will never be 100% and it is important to complete the harvest in a timely fashion, paying attention to details during harvest can increase profitability. A normal harvest loss rate to aim for is 1 to 2%. Careful attention to equipment, harvest conditions, and harvest operations can minimize yield losses at harvest time and put more corn in the bin.
There is a free mobile app from Ag PhD available to estimate harvest losses based on the kernel count per square foot. The download link is here: iOS. The app allows the user to select the crop and input the number of seed or kernels counted from an area on the ground. Harvest loss is calculated from this count.
Lonnie Mengarelli is a K-State Research and Extension Crops and Natural Resources agent assigned to Southwind District. He may be reached at [email protected] or 620-223-3720
K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer
Getting back into the school routine can be a struggle for youth after having so much free time over the summer months. Teachers have quite a challenge at the start of school to get youth engaged in learning. It is important to know that engagement in learning should take place in all activities not just in school. When youth are engaged they are excited about learning.
Most young people gain learning experiences from school or forms of work, many lack the exposure to additional opportunities that will help master skills relevant to being competitive in today’s world. Youth who are involved in the learning process and given opportunities to successfully meet challenges and solve problems are more likely to develop self-confidence and feel they are capable of succeeding. The process of “discovery” of knowledge and finding solutions helps to build competence and confidence.
A 4-H Club is where engagement in learning can be seen. The club typically consists of members of various ages, backgrounds, and abilities. They work together, plan activities and clearly enjoy being together and being involved, especially with community service projects. The members grow and mature as they plan and lead organizational activities and events. Many, by choice, become leaders of the group. The Community Club Leader is the supportive key to the Club by providing youth opportunities where youth are intellectually stimulated and challenged, help youth design real projects that make a difference to others, and create experiences with youth that relate to real life situations.
In 4-H, experiential learning allows youth to learn by being active participants in their own learning. Experiential learning takes “hands on” learning a step further by adults providing opportunities for discussion and reflection that help youth understand how to apply what they learned to everyday situations in their own lives. This allows youth to be at the center of the learning.
With school quickly approaching, it is important to think of ways to keep youth engaged in learning to allow for the best possible learning experiences. Youth need exposure to activities outside of school to gain more experiences. There are a variety of organizations for youth to be a part of in the community. Encourage youth to be involved!
For more information about Positive Youth Development or 4-H, contact Jennifer K. Terrell, District 4-H Youth Development Agent with the Southwind Extension District – Fort Scott Office at 620-223-3720 or [email protected].
Budget Workshopbegins at 5:00PM – City Hall – open to the public
Regular City Commission meetingbegins at 6:00PM– open to the public
Public Hearing – Case No. 1047 – Request for a Zoning Change at 223 N. Franklin for the purpose of a mechanic’s shop – during the Commission Meeting
City Hall Commission Room – 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, KS 66701
August 20, 2024 – 6:00 P.M.
Call to Order
Roll Call
Tim VanHoecke, Matthew Wells, Dyllon Olson, Kathryn Salsbury, Tracy Dancer
III. Pledge of Allegiance
Invocation
Approval of Agenda
Consent Agenda
Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1366-A – Expense Approval Report – Payment Dates of August 1, 2024 – August 14, 2024 – $331,433.09
Approval of Minutes for July 16, 2024, Regular Meeting – July 29, 2024, Special Meeting – August 2, 2024, Regular Meeting
Request to Pay – Earles Engineering, Inc. – Project No. 06 KA-6898-01 – Invoice No. 17453 – Billing Statement No. 4 – Payroll for Earles Engineering – June 29, 2024 – August 3, 2024 – KDOT CCLIP – $8,142.58
Request to Pay –Bourbon County Regional Economic Development Incorporated (REDI) – Second Quarter 2024 Payment (April, May, and June) – Invoice No. 0008 – $10,000.00
July Financials
VII. Public Comment – Sign up required before the beginning of the meeting on register at the entrance of the Commission Room. Public Comments are for any topic not on the agenda and limited to five (5) minutes per person, at the Commission’s discretion.
VIII. Appearances – Must be scheduled with the City Clerk at least (1) week prior to the meeting
you wish to address the Commission. You will be scheduled on the agenda to speak on your topic.
Mike Miles/Deputy Fire Chief – Fort Scott Fire Department’s First Annual 9/11 Stair Climb
Alison Leach – Mowing Proposal
Unfinished Business
Consideration to Approve Ordinance No. 3769 – Golf Cart Ordinance – VanHoecke – Tabled from July 29, 2024, and August 6, 2024
Consideration to Approve Ordinance No. 3770 – Land Bank Board of Trustees – Appointment – Terms – Dissolution – Olson
New Business
Action Items:
Consideration of Land Bank Board Membership Term Limit for Bailey Lyons – Staff Request for Commission Action by Mary Wyatt/Planning, Housing and Community Development Director – Olson
Public Hearing:
Case No. 1047 – Request for Zoning Change from Residential to Commercial (C3) for the Purpose of a Mechanic’s Shop at 223 N. Franklin – Garrett Knight – Not recommended by the Planning Commission on July 24, 2024.
Cost: $240 per team, includes green fees, golf cart & lunch
Deadline to enter: September 8, 2024
Why: To help the Friends of Tri-Valley Foundation to support programs for our neighbors with intellectual/developmental disabilities in Allen, Bourbon, Neosho and Woodson Counties.
For more information, contact Tricia at 620-431-7655,
Fort Scott, Kan. Aug. 16, 2024 – The Gordon Parks Museum is one of the recipients to receive grant funds from the Kansas Arts Commission for General Operating Support. The museum’s grant award amount is $16,000. Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland announced $1,295,450 has been awarded to 108 recipients in the latest round of Kansas Arts Commission (KAC) grant funding. The funds will support museums, arts education, music, dance, visual arts, professional and community theater, creative writing, murals, poetry and other creative projects.
We are very grateful and excited to be part of this Kansas Arts Commission grant.” said Kirk Sharp, museum, executive director. “This grant award will significantly help and support our museum’s operating expenses for the upcoming year.”
Funding for Kansas Arts Commission grants comes from the Kansas Legislature and the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more information, contact the museum by phone at (620) 223-2700, ext. 5850, or by email at [email protected]..
The new neon sign on the clubhouse at Woodland Hills Golf Course welcomes visitors.
The City of Fort Scott staff are trying to make the Woodland Hills Golf Course used by the community more, in fact, to become an activity center in Fort Scott.
Woodland Hills Golf Course, 2414 S. Horton, Fort Scott.
The staff spoke at this week’s Chamber of Commerce Coffee hosted by the golf course.
“Steve and his clubhouse crew have implemented many upgrades for our customers this year,” said Mary Wyatt, FS City Planning, Housing and Development Director, and as such is the director of the golf course. “We have contracted with a new golf cart fleet vendor and replaced all of our old golf carts, installed new countertops, purchased a new TV for the clubhouse, and purchased new high-top tables and chairs. We are also in the process of contracting with a new point-of-sale hardware and software which has many new features such as a tee-time software, annual pass cards for members, and a new website that we will be implementing soon.”
“As the FS Director of the Golf Course, I help facilitate and assist with projects, but the on-site management and their crews are the ones that make the customer experience so excellent with their daily hard work and dedication,” she said.
New Name For The Clubhouse
“With all of the new upgrades this year, we thought it would be a great time to give the Woodland Hills Golf Course Clubhouse an official name,” she said.
A suggestion box was placed in the clubhouse requesting name suggestions, and the top 10 were selected and put into a survey online. The community voted on the suggestions, determined the winning name by majority vote, and purchased a sign with that name that was installed on the front entrance of the clubhouse.
The new sign on the clubhouse at Woodland Hills Golf Course.
“The new official name chosen by the community is The Clubhouse!” she said. “Key Industries, Inc. designed shirts with the official new name for staff, and Jeff Allen wired and mounted the new sign.”
Community Is Invited To Utilize
“We have worked hard this year to create a more inclusive environment that any man, woman, or child can enjoy for more than just a golfing experience,” she said. “We want to invite everyone to come watch their favorite sports games in the clubhouse, hold their volunteer group or committee meetings there, host a weekly card game with friends, or come enjoy a burger or chicken sandwich for lunch or dinner.”
Steve Carter, club manager, said there are currently golf leagues for men, women, children and families, with cart rental at $16 for 18 holes of golf and $10 for 9 holes of golf.
Grounds Keepers
Dustin Fowler, head greens keeper, and his staff: Tyler Cook, Jonathan Allen, Rick McDaniels, and Glenn Niemann have been working to maintain the fairway with weather conditions adding to the workload.
Fowler said the Fort Scott Public Works dredged a pond to make it larger and deeper for irrigation of the greens and Bermuda sod had been donated from Wolf Creek Golf Course, to replace sod that had been killed by drought/ winter kill. He said the plan is for the fairways to be reseeded next spring.
“Dustin and his grounds team have put in a lot of overtime this year working towards recovering our greens and fairways from the past few years of drought and from the flood we had earlier this year,” she said. “The drought has caused a lot of bare, brown spots, throughout the property that are not easily repaired, and the flooding all but destroyed the bottom nine holes of the golf course.”
“It’s taken a lot of focused intensive work to manually rake the gravel out of the greens and back onto the cart paths not just after the flood but every time we have a heavy rain, a lot of seed planting, aeration, sod installation, watering, and fertilizing to rehabilitate the grounds post-drought as well as the rebuilding the bottom nine holes after flooding and heavy rain.”
“Even with the drought and the flood working against our crews and all of the special projects they’ve been working on, they still work day in and day out to maintain the grounds for golfers to enjoy daily and for hosting golf tournaments, they also built a very unique and beautiful section of brick cart path.”
Future Projects
Mini Golf
FS City Manager BradMatkin said he met with a business owner recently and there is a grant opportunity for a Fort Scott-themed miniature golf course at the city-owned golf course.
“This is in the very early stages, so I don’t have a ton of answers right now,” Matkin said. “Once I have budgeting information, it still have to be approved by the commission.”
“The Youth Activity Team has granted money for this project, and we are working on another grant for additional monies,” Matkin said.
“Our vision is to have an 18-hole miniature golf course that will not only add value to our community but will bring people from the area into our town to play. Fort Scott needs more things for families to do and I feel this would be perfect for that type of activity. We want it to be a place where a family can go out play 18-holes of miniature golf then eat a burger or hot dog, at The Clubhouse, and enjoy each other’s company or meet new friends.”
” We are going to ask for businesses to purchase holes and will let them put their “logos”, “theme” or brand on the holes,” he said. “It would really be great to have a hole that represents the fort, the splash pad, or possibly other parts of our history.”
Other Future Projects
Also in the future “the grounds crew hope to concrete all of the cart paths to make a smoother driving experience for our customers as well as prevent the loss of the cart paths during heavy rains or flooding, and create new appealing features such as decorative wooden bridges and detailed landscaping.”
“We hope to purchase new patio furniture for people to enjoy socializing out back and make the environment more cozy and inviting,” she said. “We hope to be able to provide full kitchen capabilities with a wider range of menu options, golf simulators to give customers the capability of the golf experience year-round, mini golf, and a driving range have also been discussed as well as landscaping the grass circle in front of the clubhouse.”
The clubhouse left, and the golf course garage is on the right, in this photo of Woodland Hills Golf Course.
Patty LaRoche. 2023. Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection www.alittlefaithlift.com AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
Friends for 50 years delivered the eulogy of my son-in-law’s dad, Paul. At last month’s celebration-of-life, we learned much about this man. From the time he was young, Paul sought adventure. When he was seven years old, he discovered a Christmas present under his parents’ bed. While they were at work, he opened it, found a bike, assembled it and rode around the block a few times. When finished, he took the bike apart and placed it back in its box, placing it exactly as he found it.
According to Steve, Paul’s friend, on Christmas morning, his parents were amazed at how quickly he assembled the bike. It was years before they knew their son’s secret. When Paul was 12, he decided to learn to drive, so when his parents were at work, he drove around town in one of their cars. His dad became suspicious and placed a white mark on the tire so that, if Paul “borrowed” the car, the mark on the tire would end up in a different position and Paul would be busted. Realizing his father’s tactic, Paul would drive home, jacked up the car and rotate the tire to the exact position in which he had found the white mark.
The stories were endless. Trophies were awarded for races he won as a young adult (going over 200 mph) in the Bonneville Flats after teaching himself how to increase the power of his engine, and he and Steve rode their jet skis into the Hoover Dam tunnels where they found themselves at the base of the gigantic engines that ran the dam, clearly a dangerous no-no.
Following the funeral, many of us shared the same story: we had no idea Paul had done what we had just heard. How was that possible? We had known him for decades, yet we knew little about his life. We lost an incredible opportunity to hear, first-hand, about his crazy adventures and why he made the decisions he did. His gutsiness was why he took risks and started his own, very successful company.
Relationships take work. They require listening skills where questions are asked so that others have a chance to share their life. I love hearing people’s stories, so what kept me from asking Paul about his? My loss.
When asked the most important commandment, Jesus talked about one’s vertical relationship with God the Father; the horizontal relationship with our fellow man came in a close second. Clearly, relationships are at the core of Christian living. Sadly, we now have entered a messed-up world where texting has taken over as the main method of correspondence. You know, “How R U?” Short and sweet. Very few, face-to-face encounters.
Sure, we may text-ask someone’s opinion on a scripture or on politics or even about a cute meme we just sent, but true relationships are developed in person. Around the dinner table. On the front porch. On a walk. They take time. They take commitment. They take putting ourselves out. \
Frequently, when I run into people, we end our short conversation with, “We have to get together soon.” But I get busy and fail to follow through. I am short-changing the incredible possibilities for how God has wired people to bless each other when I do not make this happen.
There is one relationship we cannot afford to short-change, and that is ours with God. Our daily strolls with God, where we set aside minutes each day to talk with Him, to listen to His guidance, to thank Him for our blessings, lets Him know He matters most of all. I mean, He does…doesn’t He?
Hosted by national officers, the National Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) celebrated its Sesquicentennial recently, August 5-8, 2024, in the beautiful Amish country
of Berlin, Ohio.
Attendees from this community were the National Educator Director, Loreta Jent and husband, Larry, from rural Fort Scott, KS.
Convention business, reports, and awards took place followed by special celebration activities such as attending a
production of “Ruth” at the Ohio Star Theater, and discovering the Amish culture through a beautiful cyclorama at the Amish Mennonite Heritage Center in nearby Behalt, OH.
President Merry Lee Powell gave a closing banquet address entitled, “150 Years – Now What?”
Pictured is President Powell as she invited and announced that NWCTU will host the 42nd World WCTU Convention, July 21-25, 2025, in Skokie, IL.
Pictured on the screen behind President Powell is World WCTU President from Norway, Margaret Ostenstad, who plans to be present with many other WCTU women from around the world!
Danny Brown and the Bourbon County Revival will be performing this Friday evening in downtown Fort Scott at 1st and Main Street.
“One of our best,” said Ralph Carlson, organizer of the free concerts. “They are pretty eclectic and have a lot of variety. We are glad to have them.”
The concert starts at 7 p.m., and the audience is asked to bring lawn chairs. In case of inclement weather, the concert will be at Common Ground Coffee Co., 12 E. Wall.
The concert series is sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce and organized by Carlson.
