Stephan Moses will be the guest performer at this week’s Friday Night Concert. Moses is a songwriter vocalist and musician who plays guitar, banjo, and mandolin. He performs a variety of genres and this week’s show will feature Blues music.
“Formerly from Kansas City, and currently residing in Nevada, Moses began playing music at age ten, and he knows his way around the stage,” concert-series organizer Ralph Carlson said. “Moses has a rich family heritage in music from his grandfather and uncle and hearing their music as a youngster left a strong impression on him. As a vocalist and musician of excellence, we are pleased to welcome Stephan Moses back to the park pavilion. Come out and join us for a great evening of friendship and music.“
The concert begins at 7 p.m. at the Heritage Park Pavilion at First and Main streets. The shows, sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, are free and open to the public. Dave Oas of Parsons serves as sound technician each week. Due to limited seating, attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.
In the event of inclement weather, the concert will be moved to the Common Ground Coffee Co., 12 E. Wall Street.
A letter of intent is signed for Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas to sell the building at 902 S. Horton to Fort Scott Community College.
“We plan to move nursing there,” FSCC President Alysia Johnston said. “The time-line is to take possession in March of 2023 and begin the program there in August of 2023.”
The future of the former nursing department building on Burke Street is uncertain at this time.
“The board will have to decide, but we are thinking we will sell it,” she said. “We will not be out of the building until summer of 2023.”
The proposed sale of the property at 902 S. Horton, is for $482,870 which is the appraised value by Bourbon County, according to the letter of intent.
CHC will provide the title to FSCC on March 1, 2023.
CHC will look for opportunities to expand their affiliation with the community college, including scholarships and educational programs, according to the document.
Mary Kathryn “Kay” Beaman, 93, of Uniontown, passed away Thursday morning, April 28, 2022,at Country Place Senior Living in Fort Scott. Arrangements will be announced by the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.
I have an outgoing and upbeat personality, but I sure didn’t act like it on my first day of first grade back in 1964. Since kindergarten hadn’t been invented yet, I was venturing into very-scary territory. I was sad and distressed as I entered Mrs. Neill’s room toting my cigar box with a tear on the lid. As I sat at my table waiting for the teacher to begin school, I watched another classmate acting like she was at a party! Patsy was boisterously interacting with the other kids and having a blast. I couldn’t believe she could act like that in such a traumatic situation. But it was quite obvious her attitude was, “Yippee! Kids to play with, and so many of ‘em all in the same room! This is great!” My attitude was, “Gloom, despair, and agony on me!”
Although Patsy and I were experiencing the same environment, our attitudes were on opposite ends of the spectrum. Attitude is a mindset, outlook, or perspective about something or a particular situation. When we have a set way of thinking (whether right or wrong), it’s reflected in our behavior. I had an attitude of distress and I was completely miserable. Patsy had an attitude of fun and she was as happy as a lark.
God is not honored when His children have bad attitudes. It’s really important that believers have the same attitude as Christ. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Philippians 2:3-5 NLT). Just as Jesus is willing to go the distance to reach, love, and care for us, we should want to do the same for others.
Having a selfish mindset runs contrary to God‘s purposes and guarantees a life of misery. But those who choose to pursue a Christ-like mindset reap the benefits of an abundant life now and eternal life later. “…those who live by the impulses of the Holy Spirit are motivated to pursue spiritual realities. For the mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset controlled by the Spirit finds life and peace” (Romans 8:5,6 TPT).
Christ followers are not to live in hopeless confusion like the world. When nonbelievers close their minds and harden their hearts against God, they’re cutting off their nose to spite their face. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. “…let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes” (Ephesians 4:23 NLT). When believers fill their minds with life-changing truth from God’s Word, there’s no room for the enemy to fill them with his rotten lies. However, Satan loves it when he finds a lazy believer who’s made no effort to fill his/her mind with God’s Word. An empty head is a lot easier to hoodwink, and the devil is more than happy to oblige.
If our attitude stinks to high heaven, we can make a life-changing decision to fine-tune it or completely overhaul it. Nothing is impossible with God. Our thoughts direct the course of our lives because we act and speak according to what we think. “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7 NLT). Do yourself a favor, up the ante and get on board with the right train of thought.
The Key: Trade in your old soggy cigar box for a new game-changer attitude.
Over the course of my 42 years in the business world, lending to hundreds of businesses during that time period, I have rarely seen people succeed by accident. Big success stories are almost invariably preceded by big planning. Yes, these plans have had to adjust on the fly sometimes, but the fact that people are thinking strategically on an ongoing basis gives them a better chance at meeting their objectives.
That being said, I have seldom encountered effective planning by communities. Perhaps it is because a 10-year plan seems meaningless to a politician whose term lasts for four years, but it is more likely because it is a herculean effort. No matter what state, county or city undertakes the process of producing a plan, the project must be undertaken by credible citizens, and the diversity of the whole jurisdiction must be considered. In today’s world of caustic social media, who among us has any critical mass of credibility left?
Despite these obstacles, the people and communities of Bourbon County must try; if we fail to plan, we are planning to fail every day. We will all wake up one day and wonder how we have drifted so far away from the best we can be.
Some communities engage outside organizations to drive this process. I don’t mind the thought of getting a consultant involved to give some guidance, but a third-party who drives the process misses the point of our own community learning to engage one another on a healthy basis and do our own planning on an ongoing basis.
What is involved in a Bourbon County comprehensive plan? It starts with a solid vision of what we want to look like in 10 years, 20 years, etc. The vision has to be doable and make sense in context of who we are now, what resources are available, and what we realistically can be; for example, it would not make sense for us to aspire to be the entertainment capital or the Silicon Valley of the Midwest.
Once we have a vision for the county, and every jurisdiction inside the county, we can begin to create processes within realistic timelines, set priorities and allocate resources. There also needs to be standards and procedures set for reviewing the vision and adjusting it as conditions change or new opportunities present themselves.
Bourbon County REDI will begin discussions of the who, what, when, where, why and how of community planning. Get ready to be a contributor, not just a social media naysayer. If you have thoughts and ideas as to how community planning should unfold, we would
The Big Kansas Road Trip is scheduled for May 5-8, 2022, showcasing the counties of Bourbon, Cherokee, and Crawford. During this special Southeast Kansas event, The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes encourages visitors to tour the interactive Hall of Unsung Heroes exhibits and visit the new Unsung Heroes Park. Both of these exhibit areas feature the dramatic and diverse stories of Unsung Heroes whose actions have had a profound and positive impact on the course of history. Tours will be available, free of charge, on Thursday and Friday from 10:00 – 5:00 p.m. and Saturday from 10:00 – 4:00 p.m.
All visitors are invited to participate in specially planned activities during the Big Kansas Road Trip. Featured programs will include a presentation and children’s book reading by author Cathy Werling at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Cathy, the author of the Unsung Heroes Children’s Book Series, will give an overview of the series’ featured heroes and share one of her books.
The cornerstone project of the Center, Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project, will be the highlight of the presentations at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday and Friday. Norm Conard and Megan Felt, two of the project’s creators, will share Irena’s amazing story.
The books in the children’s series, as well as Life in a Jar: The Irena Sendler Project will be available for sale and can be autographed by the presenters. The Center will also have a drawing for the chance to win one of our Unsung Heroes books. All visitors are welcome to sign up.
An additional event at the Center on Friday from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. will be the introduction of best-selling author, Roxie Yonkey. She will be autographing her best-selling book, 100 Things to Do in Kansas Before You Die. Books can be purchased during the event or ahead of time at RoxieontheRoad.com/Shop. Roxie commented “When I signed the contract to write 100 Things Kansas, the Lowell Milken Center was one of the top places on my list to include in the book. When I visited the center, I could hardly restrain my tears because of the moving stories that the center told. People need to know these people, and I am so glad that the center tells their stories.”
Yonkey has been writing about Kansas for over 30 years. The book 100 Things to Do in Kansas Before You Die is her second book. In 2020, she co-authored the book Midwest Road Trip Adventures, which includes road trip guides for all 12 Midwest states. Her new book, Secret Kansas: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure, will come out in the spring of 2023.
On behalf of the board, we would like to update our stakeholders and staff on the Superintendent Search process, specifically the opportunities for input and feedback on candidates.
The first opportunity was with the online survey, there was an amazing response – thank you. The next opportunity for feedback will occur during the candidate interview process.
There will be two “meet and greet” receptions open to all staff and community members during the candidate’s visit and tour of our district.
On each day of finalist interviews, scheduled for May 10, 11 and/or 12, the district will host public receptions at 4:00 p.m. and again at 5:30 p.m. It is our hope that providing two times on each day will allow staff and community to select the time that best fits their personal and work schedules.
KASB will collect feedback from each of these events and provide the data to the board for consideration. More specific information regarding location and specific dates will be shared as soon as the board determines the number of finalists for interviews.
The USD 234 Board of Education wants to use the opportunities provided through the search process to engage the voices of our staff and patrons in helping us identify the best course forward for our district.
Agenda Bourbon County Commission Room 1stFloor, County Courthouse 210 S. National Avenue Fort Scott, KS 66701 Tuesdaysstarting at 9:00 Date: May 3, 2022 1stDistrict–Lynne OharahMinutes:Approved:_______________ 2ndDistrict–JimHarrisCorrected: _______________________ 3rdDistrict–Clifton BethAdjourned at: _______________ County Clerk–Ashley Shelton MEETING HELD IN THE COMMISSION ROOM Call to Order •Flag Salute •Approval of Minutes from previous meeting •EricBailey–Road and BridgeReport •Justin Meeks, County Counselor Comment •Susan Bancroft, Finance DirectorComment •Public Comment •Elected Officials Comment •CommissionComment
Remington Rose Meek, infant daughter of Tanner Meek and Elizabeth Rose Meek passed away shortly after birth on Monday, April 25, 2022, at the Nevada Regional Medical Center in Nevada, Missouri.
In addition to her parents, she is survived by grandparents, Misty Miles of Ft. Scott, Joanie Rose and Shannon Parker both of Goodman, Missouri and great-grandparents, Trissa Bartlett, Randy Bartlett, Harry Meek and Bonnie Meek, all of Ft. Scott, Dennis and Debbie Rose of Goodman, Missouri and Mary Parker of Ranger, West Virginia. Also surviving are numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Curtis Meek.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 5 P.M. Tuesday, May 3rd at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the Remington Rose Meek Memorial Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 666701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com