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Obituary of Penny Rothrock
Penny Rothrock, 74, of Mulvane Kansas, passed away peacefully at home on September 4, 2024. Born in Missouri, Penny was a loving and devoted mother, grandmother, sister, and friend who touched the lives of many with her kindness and generosity.
Penny was preceded in death by her father Arthur Piper, mother Shirley Kenny, sister Judy Piper, and brother Jerry Piper. She is survived by her brother, Larry (Kathy) Piper, and her two sisters, Nancy Piper and Mary Satterwhite. Penny was also a proud mother of five children: Mike Newberry, Kevin Michael (Ellie) White, Kevin (Mandy) Newberry, Tiffany Berry, and Heather (Josh) Johnson. She was blessed with many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Penny cherished every moment spent with her grandchildren and her happiest times were those spent surrounded by family.
Penny will be remembered for her determined spirit, her unwavering love, and the countless memories she created with her grandchildren. Her presence will be deeply missed, but her legacy of love and devotion will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew her.
A celebration of life will be held at 1pm Saturday, September 14th at Gunn Park Shelter #6, Fort Scott, KS. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you hold your loved ones close and honor Penny’s memory by sharing love and kindness with those around you.
Craft Fair At First Southern Baptist Church on September 20-21
First Southern Baptist Church of Fort Scott is hosting a Craft Fair with 21 vendors selling their homemade crafts.
The Church is also hosting a Bake Sale at this event to be held on September 20 & 21st from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. both days.
The Church will be serving Chicken Noodle and Pulled Pork Dinners $10/each, Dine In, Carry Out or even Preorder. To preorder please contact Terri Williams 620-215-3202 or Ida Ford 417-262-3948.
Obituary of Doylene Chapman
Doylene Chapman, age 77, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Sunday, September 8, 2024, at her home. She was born November 25, 1946, in Ft. Scott, the daughter of Doyle Monroe Shoemaker and Betty Hathaway Shoemaker.
Doylene graduated from the Arcadia High School with the Class of 1964. After graduating high school, Doylene married Scott Kennedy. He preceded her in death in 2004. She later married Emmett Chapman on July 3, 2010.
Doylene had worked as the office manager for Bourbon County Public Works for several years. In her spare time, she enjoyed crochet and needlepoint. She also volunteered with the Mercy Hospital Auxiliary. Doylene and Emmett enjoyed taking several extended trips to watch their grandchildren’s events.
She was a member of the Freedom Spirit Church.
Survivors include her husband, Emmett, of the home; her daughter Stephanie Lockwood of Ft. Scott and four grandchildren, Mackenzie, Brayden, Weston and Everly Lockwood and a step-daughter, Denise Kennedy of California. In addition to her first husband, Scott, Doylene was preceded in death by her father, Doyle Shoemaker, her mother and step-father, Betty and Perry Dobbins and her brother, Larry Shoemaker.
Pastor Matt Kendrick will conduct funeral services at 2:00 P.M. Friday, September 13th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Burial will follow in the Large Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Thursday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
Memorials are suggested to the KU Cancer Center and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Hydroponics At Uniontown Junior High: Learning and Growing Produce For The School
Students at the rural school in western Bourbon County now have the opportunity to gain knowledge in an up-and-coming farm business, hydroponics.
Alison Weston teaches botany/horticulture at Uniontown Junior High School this year, and as part of this class, hydroponics is being taught.
Hydroponics is the technique of growing plants using a water-based nutrient solution rather than soil, according to https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/hydroponics
“As a teacher, I love this unit because it is an awesome way to get kids involved and to grow a love for gardening and planting their own food,” she said. “I love gardening and this is a neat way to integrate that into the curriculum. I’d love to get a greenhouse going at some point.”
USD 235 was the recipient of a hydroponic shipping container farm through a grant awarded to the Kansas Division of Children and Families, USD 235 Superintendent Vance Eden said in a prior interview.
Hydrophonics is Coming to a Local School System
The Community Green Farms of Pittsburg, KS announced on September 11, 2023, that they would receive over $1,000,000 to bring seven southeast Kansas counties a vertical hydroponic container farm.
“The project is called a Leafy Greens Unit,” Weston said.
“The purpose is to help kids appreciate the food they eat and to help kids want to eat healthier by having the chance to grow their own food- there is a correlation between kids growing their own food and then wanting to try it,” Weston said.
Six botany students are involved in the production of greens, and eight students help in the Science Technology Engineering, and Math education class.
“The botany students are basically in charge. We are still coming up with a job schedule for them. Every day we take 10 gallons of Culligan Water into the reserve tank. Our city water has a pH that is inadequate, so this was the option chosen to get better quality water to the plants.”
“We have seedlings that are watered twice a week by bottom-watering, upfront in the unit. They are planted in compressed coconut husks in trays- all soilless. No soil is used. After they have matured, about 3 weeks, they are transplanted into the towers, which are the vertical hanging towers. There is wicking material that as the watering system from above drips down on the towers, the wicking material soaks it up and drains out of the bottom of the tower. There is a drainage system below the tower so as the whole unit is at a bit of a tilt, the water drains into the reservoir.”
Twice a month someone comes from Leafy Greens in Pittsburg to check on the fertilizers and pH solutions.
” They are diluted into the water and given to the plants throughout the day. The whole system is on an automated timer so it waters every couple of hours and the grow lights are turned on every couple of hours,” Weston said.
The students harvest twice a week and the two cafeterias serve them to the students at lunch.
They have been growing Monte Carlo Romaine and Swiss Chard for a few months.
“Mr. Eden, Officer Trim, and the custodians were taking care of the unit over the summer before I took it over with the botany/horticulture class. We also grow large-leaf basil, and oakleaf lettuce.”
“We are just now starting some experimental plants: eggplant, kale, marigolds, violas, onions, spinach, radishes, beets, and various lettuces.”
They are supplying to the school kitchen currently, but plan to branch out to other businesses soon.
Bourbon County Senior Citizens, Inc. receives $5,000 grant from Heartland
Bourbon County Senior Citizens, Inc., which helps facilitate the Meals on Wheels program in Fort Scott and surrounding areas, was awarded $5,000 for repairs to their distribution center in historic downtown Fort Scott.
The funds will go toward the cost of installing helical masonry ties to secure the building’s brick veneer to the structural frame, which had begun separating due to missing or deteriorated brick ties. With these repairs, the facility can continue to serve as a safe base of operations for the staff and volunteers that package and deliver hundreds of meals each month.
The project was among six selected for a total of $29,300 in funding by the Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative Board of Directors through the cooperative’s Concern for Community grant program.
“We had a great batch of proposals this year,” said Mark Scheibe, Heartland CEO. “We look forward to working with some outstanding partners to put these funds to work for the good of Heartland members and their communities.”
As a non-profit, member-owned cooperative, Heartland issues capital credits to members each year, but sometimes those capital credits go unclaimed. Because those monies were intended to be returned to the communities from which they came, Heartland’s Board of Directors decided to use those unclaimed funds for community grants and started the Concern for Community program in 2019.
The Concern for Community program provides grants of up to $5,000 for capital improvement projects throughout the Heartland service area, which covers parts of 12 counties in eastern Kansas. Capital improvement projects are those that involve investment in structures or equipment that will last for many years.
Applications were accepted from June 1–July 31 and selected by the Heartland Board of Directors at their August 23 meeting. Heartland plans to reopen applications in summer 2025 for the next round of funding.
This year, six applications out of 30 received were approved for funding by the Heartland board. The other projects selected are as follows:
- Cherokee County Kansas Fair Association, Inc. was awarded $5,000 to help purchase cooling fans for the show barns at the fairgrounds in Columbus.
- Dream Big Little One Association was awarded $4,300 for repairs and renovations at their distribution center in Columbus.
- Sugar Valley Lake Homes Association, Inc. was awarded $5,000 toward a playground project at the Sugar Valley/Hidden Valley clubhouse in Mound City.
- USD 362 Prairie View was awarded $5,000 toward a new childcare center in La Cygne.
- USD 413 Foundation was awarded $5,000 toward a new animal science learning center at Chanute High School.
About Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc.
Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative, Inc. powers rural lifestyles throughout more than 11,000 locations in eastern Kansas. Heartland’s service area includes consumer-members in 12 counties, including Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Labette, Linn, Miami, Neosho, Wilson, and Woodson.
Heartland REC traces its roots back to three original rural electric cooperatives: Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company, Sugar Valley Electric Cooperative Association, and Sekan Electric Cooperative Association. Cooperative Electric Power & Light Company joined with Sugar Valley in 1975 to form United Electric Cooperative; United Electric Cooperative joined with Sekan Electric Cooperative Association in 1996 to form Heartland.
Letter to the Editor: Michael Hoyt
“I think it is important that the public realize the significance of placing or allowing incompatible candidates to hold office,” said Michael J. Hoyt, who sent the attached legal action.
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American Legion Angel Tree Ride Is October 5
Auditions for Voices From The Grave Are September 19, 20
Bourbon County Community Theatre Announces Auditions for Voices from the Grave
Bourbon County Community Theatre is holding auditions for Voices from the Grave, an original production based on stories from Bourbon County’s history.
Auditions are 6-8 p.m. on Sept. 19 or 20 at the Ellis Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College. Those who audition must be age 14 or over and only need to attend one evening of auditions. Rehearsal times will be scheduled in small groups with the Director, Regen Wells.
Voices from the Grave takes place from 6-9 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Riverfront Park in Fort Scott, KS. Guests will enjoy a guided walking tour of short acting vignettes centering around stories of murder and mayhem in Fort Scott. Scenes were written by the students in the Advanced Drama class at Fort Scott High School and are based off of stories from local author Brian Allen’s books about Fort Scott.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and are available from bcct.ludus.com in Fort Scott. Tour times must be pre-scheduled and run every 15 minutes. Parents must accompany children under the age of 14.
More information can be found on the Bourbon County Community Theatre Facebook page or by contacting Wells at 620-215-3510.
Hackberry Road Will Be Closed September 11
Starting Wednesday, September 11th, Hackberry will be closed between HWY 3 and 60th for culvert replacement.
From
Becky Robertson
Bourbon County Public Works
U234 Board of Education Met Last Evening
Unified School District 234
424 South Main
Fort Scott, KS 66701-2697
620-223-0800 Fax 620-223-2760
DESTRY BROWN
Superintendent
BOARD OF EDUCATION REGULAR MEETING
NEWS RELEASE
Monday, September 09, 2024
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at 5:30 p.m. on Monday, September 09, 2024, for their regular monthly meeting at the board office.
President David Stewart opened the meeting.
The Revenue Neutral Hearing was held at 5:30 PM, none were present during public forum.
The Budget Hearing was held at 5:45 PM, none were present during public forum.
The Board approved –
Resolution 24-08- Exceeding the Revenue Neutral Tax Rate
Resolution 24-09- Make a local option percentage in an among of 33% for the 24-25 school year.
The Board approved the 2024-25 Budget with consideration of the Needs Assessment.
The board approved the official agenda and the consent agenda as follows:
Board Minutes
- 08/12/24 Minutes
Financials – Cash Flow Report
Check Register
Payroll – August 20, 2024 – $1,872,640.99
Activity Funds Accounts
USD 234 Gifts
KASB August Update
KASB Voting Delegate 2024-25 – David Stewart
MOU with SEK Mental Health for Mental Health Intervention Program
MOU with Community Health Center of SEK for random drug screening of students
The Board went into an executive session for personnel matters.
Tiger of Members of the month were Jannah Farrington and Billi Jo Shoemaker. Jannah is in her 14th year of teaching and Billi Jo is in her second with SPED and 23rd year with the district. Both were recognized for their hard work during the ESY summer program. Jannah was the coordinator and Billi Jo helped with the elementary students. Both were a key part in the success of this summer program in which the children had a wonderful experience.
Superintendent Destry Brown reported on an upcoming Board Member training to be held later this month.
Assistant Superintendent Terry Mayfield provided the Board with a shared sheet.
Tonya Barnes, Special Education Director, updated the Board on several training opportunities that will be coming soon. She also commended the SPED staff for their accomplishment with Indicator 11 and informed about the evaluations last year and number of IEP placements.
Danny Brown, Board Member, adjourned the meeting.
PERSONNEL REPORT – APPROVED
September 09, 2024
RESIGNATIONS/TERMINATIONS/RETIREMENTS:
Craig, Alicia – Van Driver Resignation
Hensley, Charlie – Resignation – Transportation Director
Lopp, Kylie – Resignation – Paraprofessional – Eugene Ware
Mishler, Kelsei – Resignation – Paraprofessional – Middle School
Stepps, Abby – Supplemental Resignation – Leadership Club
LEAVE OF ABSENCE:
Mills, Lacy
EMPLOYMENT:
Classified Recommendations for the 2024-25 school year:
Heenan, Kristen – Paraprofessional – High School
Newman, Ronna – Substitute Paraprofessional – High School
Skaggs, Gwen – Paraprofessional – Middle School
Supplemental Recommendations for the 2024-25 school year:
Corbitt, Cheyenne – Intramural Supplemental
Dennigan, Dennis – Morning Gym Supervision
Jones, Taylor – Musical Music Director
Nelson, Andrew – Guided Coalition
Oxholm, Chris – Assistant Wrestling
Spears, Tiffinie – Leadership Club