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Christian Learning Center Takes Top Prize in Heartland SunPowered Student Challenge
Two high school teams sponsored by Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative took home honors at the first-ever SunPowered Student Challenge, a statewide solar energy competition founded by the Kansas Electric Cooperatives (KEC), Heartland REC, Ten80 Education, and Pitsco Education.
A Heartland-sponsored team from Christian Learning Center in Fort Scott took home the top prize, with each team member winning a $1,000 scholarship. Meanwhile, another Heartland-sponsored team consisting of students in Greenbush’s gifted education program received the “Powerful Presentation” award.
This brand-new competition sought to bring real-world electricity knowledge and industry practices to high school-age students across the state. As solar power becomes more prevalent in the United States, it becomes increasingly important to educate current and future electricity customers about responsible energy consumption, jobs in electricity, and even degrees obtainable in Kansas colleges.
Armed with newfound knowledge and hands-on practice obtained the prior semester, 11 student teams from across Kansas—as far west as Colby and as far east as Fort Scott—joined forces in Topeka on February 5 to perform real-time challenges, present findings, and prove their solar energy knowledge—all before industry professionals.
Event highlights included a speech by Mike Beene, Assistant Secretary of Kansas Department of Commerce and former educator, who spoke to the power of workforce development and Kansas’ desire to invest in its future; scholarships for the winning teams; and the following winners and their sponsors across all categories:
- Overall Champion – Christian Learning Center (Fort Scott), Heartland REC
- Creative Curb Appeal – Colby High School (Colby), Midwest Energy
- Powerful Presentation – Greenbush Service Center (Girard), Heartland REC
- Commendable Collaboration – Thomas More Prep-Marian (Hays), Midwest Energy; Solomon High School (Solomon), DSO; Boy Scouts of America Troop 222B/1222G (El Dorado), Butler Electric Cooperative
With teams already ramping up for next year’s competition, plus plans to expand the event to additional states, it’s looking like the Sunflower State’s inaugural competition will be the first of many. Team registration will be available in the coming months.
The SunPowered founders would like to thank all the 2024 sponsors: KEPCo, Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, Evergy, Today’s Power, EDF Renewables, and especially the following Kansas electric co-ops who sponsored individual student teams:
- 4 Rivers Electric Cooperative
- Bluestem Electric Cooperative
- Butler Electric Cooperative
- DSO Electric Cooperative
- Flint Hills Rural Electric Cooperative
- FreeState Electric Cooperative
- Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative
- Midwest Energy
- Pioneer Electric Cooperative
- Rolling Hills Electric Cooperative
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Sedgwick County Electric Cooperative
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Southern Pioneer Electric Cooperative
- Sumner-Cowley Electric Cooperative
- Twin Valley Electric Cooperative
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Victory Electric Cooperative
Bourbon County Arts Council 32nd Annual Fine Arts Exhibit is Feburary 29-March 9
The Bourbon County Arts Council will present its 32nd Annual Fine Arts Exhibit from February 29th through March 9th, at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, on the Campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton.
The Arts Council will host the Chamber Coffee at 8:00 am on Thursday, February 29th, at the Ellis Center.
The Exhibit will be open to the public beginning Thursday, February 29th through Saturday, March 9th, on weekdays from 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm, and on Saturdays, from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. A reception to honor this year’s Juror and artists will be held on Thursday the 29th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm; the public is invited to attend and enjoy the opportunity to meet and visit with them about the art.
Artists will have their work on display and for sale in this multi-media exhibit, in categories including Ceramics, Drawing & Graphics, Fiber Arts, Glasswork, Jewelry, Mixed Media, Painting, Pastel, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, and Watercolor.
A “themed” category was added to the Exhibit, with this year’s theme being “Art of Everyday Life”.
An artist may create a piece in any of the above categories, in relation to the theme.
This year, artists from Kansas, Missouri, and Oklahoma will participate in the Fine Art Exhibit.
Local artists entered include Kathryn Allen, Maggie Brenner, Rylee Coulter, Jewel Endicott, Steve Floyd, Kate Freeman, Lucy Gladbach, Bobbi Kemna, Millie Karleskint, Julie Kibble, Steve Kibble, Terry Koester, Connie Neil, Kadra Nevitt, Eri Popp, Susan Porter, Elisabeth Ross, Kaitlynn Sampson, and Addison Smith.
Cash prizes awarded for category winners are given by the Bourbon County Arts Council in memory of E.C. Gordon, and by the generous sponsorship from these local businesses: the Artificers, Buerge Art Studio, Citizens Bank, City State Bank, Edward Jones-Jamie Armstrong , H&H Realty, Landmark Bank, Lyons Realty, Mid-Continental Restoration, Osage Timber LLC, State Farm Insurance, Union State Bank, and Ward Kraft.
Bill Wilson will serve as this year’s Juror. He is a retired art educator with more than forty years of experience encompassing early elementary through college-level instruction. Most recently having taught visual art for Marmaton Valley, he also spent some time teaching at Allen County Community College. Mr. Wilson states “as an artist, I choose to work in a wide range of media that will allow me to best express my thoughts and ideas”. He is currently exploring metal forging techniques and creating primitive-fired ceramic jewelry.
There is no admission charge for this event, and all are encouraged to come and enjoy an exciting collection of original artwork.
FSCC Trustees Meet February 29 For A Special Meeting
The FSCC Board of Trustees will be holding a special board meeting on Thursday, Feburary 29 at 1:00 pm in the meeting rooms of the Ellis Fine Arts Center. After calling the meeting to order, the board will adjourn to executive session for consultation with an attorney for the public body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship. A majority of board members may be present at noon to tour student housing, but no business will be conducted during the tour.
Kansans encouraged to celebrate Talking Books Week, March 3rd-9th
TOPEKA – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly signed a proclamation declaring the week of March 3-9, 2024, Kansas Talking Books Week. According to the proclamation, the federal Pratt-Smoot Act, enacted on March 3, 1931, established free library services for blind adults, administered by the National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled (NLS) in the Library of Congress.
During Talking Books Week, the State Library of Kansas is celebrating services that Kansans with a print impairment can enjoy with a Talking Books account. Governor Kelly’s proclamation highlights the variety of more than 150,000 accessible reading materials and additional information services, including a new statewide sponsorship by the agency of NFB-Newsline. A service of the National Federation of the Blind, NFB-Newsline provides library patrons access to hundreds of newspapers, magazines, emergency weather alerts, job listings, and more by phone, internet, an iOS app, and an Alexa skill.
The Director of the Talking Books Division Michael Lang noted, “we encourage our current and potential patrons to explore the variety of services offered and the options for customization available through Kansas Talking Books. We want every user to find their perfect fit of service to meet their needs.”
Talking Books Week programming will be shared on social media at facebook.com/kansas.
Kansas Talking Books, a division of the State Library of Kansas, proudly serves patrons who are blind, visually impaired, physically impaired, or otherwise print disabled in all 105 counties across the state with the assistance of outreach centers in Norton, Great Bend, and Iola. All services are provided at no cost to the patron. To learn more about services from the State Library’s Talking Books Division, call toll-free 1-800-362-0699 or visit kslib.info/Talking-Books.
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The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports February 28
Chamber Announces Spring Open House, Find the Golden Egg Shopping Event
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces a Spring Open House, Find the Golden Egg shopping event which will take place on Friday and Saturday March 22nd and 23rd. Most stores in the Downtown Historic District and several additional locations will be participating in the hunt.
Customers are invited to shop local retailers to search for the hidden gold eggs. The golden eggs will contain coupons, promotions, Chamber Bucks, and more.
In addition to the shopping fun that weekend, there will be plastic multi-colored eggs hidden around Downtown on Saturday the 24th after 10 a.m. suitable for young children to find.
The Chamber encourages the community to join the hunt on March 23rd-24th. Get ‘egg-cited’ to shop local. Contact the Chamber for more information at 620-223-3566.
Obituary of Robert Hirons
Robert Evans “Bob” Hirons, age 77, a resident of Fort Scott, Kansas passed away Sunday, February 25, 2024, at Advent Shawnee Mission Hospital in Merriam, Kansas following complications from extensive back surgery. He was born December 10, 1946, in Kansas City Missouri. He attended public school in Independence, Missouri and eventually moved with his family to Overland Park, Kansas and became part of the second graduating class at Shawnee Mission West High School. Bob served in the U.S. Army from 1966-1968 where he was deployed in Korea with a unit that trained troops for the Vietnam War. He also served in the Kansas National Guard from 1979-1984.
Bob returned to Kansas City after his Army service and soon began a 40-year career with the U.S. Postal Service. During this time, he also served as a union representative and steward with the American Postal Workers Union. Bob met his wife, Barbara Joan Hirons at a New Year’s Eve party in her hometown of Fredonia, KS. They began dating when they were both back in Kansas City and were married on March 17, 1970. They moved to Fort Scott in 1971 and have resided in their beloved Victorian home on Crawford Street since 1976. Bob dedicated much of his free time to serving at Community Christian Church in various roles including Sunday school teacher, deacon, elder, treasurer, and board chairman. He and Joan joined Rinehart Christian Church and he has poured himself into caring for this church community over the last 6 years. Bob was passionate about baseball. He enjoyed coaching his sons’ little league teams, religiously followed the Kansas City Royals, and loved taking trips with his family to visit stadiums throughout the country. He also loved to follow the KU Jayhawks with his two sons and the KSU Wildcats with his grandson. Bob took great delight caring for his grandchildren in their earliest years, and loved attending their piano recitals, athletic events, and school activities as they grew older.
Survivors include his wife Joan and his children Michael (Julie) of Leawood and Scott (Alison) of Overland Park and three grandchildren: Shade, Phoebe and Nora Hirons, all of Overland Park. Also surviving are his brother Franklin Hirons (Lori) of St. Croix, VI and his sister Sandra Garrison (Dan) of Asheville, North Carolina.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas Hirons (1973) and Edith Hirons Dennis (2017).
Rev. Kevin Moyers will conduct funeral services at 10:00 AM Friday, March 1st, at the Rinehart Christian Church in Richards, MO. Burial will follow at 1:30 PM in the U. S. National Cemetery, Fort Scott. The family will receive friends from 5:30 until 7:30 Thursday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Rinehart Christian Church Building Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted online at cheneywitt.com.
Blue Collar Awards Event March 9 Will Benefit Local Trades Scholarships
Advance Bourbon County is sponsoring a Blue Collar Awards event on March 9 at Memorial Hall, located at Third Street and National Avenue.
“The purpose is to raise money for scholarships for local students going to college in the blue-collar trades field,” said Josh Jones one of the organizers of the event. The scholarships will be awarded to Fort Scott and Uniontown students who apply and are eligible
For students wishing to be considered for a scholarship in the trades field see the application below:
According to the scholarship requirements, students must be high school seniors and will attend a college/trade school within 180 miles of Bourbon County. All scholarship monies will be paid directly to the school. Qualified trade programs re: HVAC, plumbing, electrical, construction, welding, fabrication, automotive and diesel mechanics. commercdriver’svers license, auto CAD/drafting, manufacturing technology, machining, masonry, robotics/drones, lineman, railroad training, carpentry, and major appliance technology.
The student must also write a paragraph describing their plans upon completing the program.
The awardee must present proof of enrollment to Josh Jones to claim their scholarship award.
Local tradesmen are on a ballot for a community vote with winners recognized during the March 9 event.
“We are in the voting process now and on March 1st we will tally the votes and give out awards based on each category to local businesses,” Jones said.
The event will also feature a comedian this year, the Copenhagen Bandit.
To view a prior feature on Advance Bourbon County’s beginnings:
Chamber Coffee Hosted by Bourbon County Arts Council on February 29
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Local Republicans Will Meet February 29
All Republicans and independents are invited to the Republican meeting on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024, 6 pm, at Ft Scott Livestock Market, 2131 Maple Rd, Ft Scott, KS
Submitted by:
Deb Martin, Correspondence Secretary