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Say Something About Access To Child Care in Bourbon County
Infrastructure and Economic Development Grants
Governor Kelly Announces Awardees of
Nearly $50 Million of Infrastructure
and Economic Development Grants
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today announced awardees for the second round of the Building a Stronger Economy (BASE) economic development grant program. Thirty-eight awardees will receive a share of nearly $50 million in BASE grants, which will be used to address infrastructure and economic development needs where solutions were delayed or slowed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Kansas Department of Commerce reviewed more than 400 applications from the first round and more than 100 new applications from the second round. In total, more than $2 billion in funding was requested for the nearly $50 million program, demonstrating both the need for this program and the many opportunities that exist throughout the state.
“To continue our record-breaking success in attracting businesses and creating jobs in Kansas, we must invest in infrastructure and economic development,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “That’s exactly what these grants do, and I’m proud that we were able to work together, across party lines, to continue driving our state forward.”
The second round of the BASE grant program, as approved by the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) Executive Committee, offers matching funds to address economic development opportunities with the goal of expanding the state’s base of businesses and residents.
“The State of Kansas is determined to strengthen as many communities as we possibly can,” Senate President Ty Masterson said. “These BASE grants will get more vital community projects back on track, while transforming the state’s economy.”
Funds will support infrastructure investments associated with economic development projects. In addition to funds awarded, the BASE program has generated $44 million in matching investment by public and private stakeholders for awarded projects.
“The infrastructure projects this round of funding supports will foster prosperity for future generations of Kansans,” House Speaker Dan Hawkins said. “The SPARK Committee focused on projects that set the stage for strategic long-term growth through thoughtful and targeted planning.”
County and local governments, economic development organizations, local chambers of commerce, and other stakeholders were eligible to apply for the second round of the BASE grant. Applications not awarded from the first round were also considered in the second round. There is a minimum 25% applicant match requirement and applicants were required to document how the project was delayed or affected negatively due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Communities throughout our state will receive long-lasting benefits as a result of the BASE grant program,” Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “Local leaders proposed specific solutions to address needs in their communities and these focused investments will continue to propel our state’s historic economic growth.”
For a list of BASE grant recipients and more information on the program, click here.
Chamber Coffee at the Fort Scott Public Library on April 27
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Chamber of Commerce Awards for 2023
The 2023 AWARD RECIPIENTS were presented by
THE FORT SCOTT AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE at the annual awards dinner on April 20, at the River Room Event Center.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce would like to say a special THANK YOU to everyone who was involved in the Chamber Annual Dinner 2023, according to its Facebook page.
Al Niece, Owner, Niece Products of Kansas & The River Room
River Room Events Center Staff, Pat & Cathy Bishop
Brickstreet BBQ , Alex & Carissa Bowman
Fort Scott High School Orchestra, Musicians
Sekan Occasion Shops & Designer’s Florist by Sekan, Stage Décor
Businesses Providing Table Decorations
Live & Silent Auction Donors
Mark Mccoy, Master of Ceremonies
Lance Anderson, Auctioneer
Chamber Board of Directors for their dedication &
time contributed to this event!
Special Congratulations to our Award Winners!
The results are as follows:
Top Decorated Table
State Farm Kale Nelson
2022 Outgoing Chairman of the Board
Katie Casper
Young Professional of the Year
Rachel French
Given to a professional 45 years old or younger who personifies
the traits desired in a “great” business person.
Agri-Business of the Year
The Lavender Patch Farm
Given to the agri-business that has contributed to the overall economy and benefits the Fort Scott area community.
New Business of the Year
The Artificers
Given to a business at least 3 years new to the community which exemplifies the business practices for which all businesses strive.
Business Person of the Year
Destry Brown
Given to a professional who personifies all the traits desired in a “great” business person: a dedication to their business, their community, and their family and friends.
Small Business of the Year
Perry’s Pork Rinds
Given to the business with 25 or less employees and $3 million or less in annual revenues that continually expands, improves and benefits the Fort Scott area through its achievements and accomplishments.
Large Business of the Year
Mid-Continental Restoration Co., Inc.
Given to the business that continually expands, improves, and benefits the Fort Scott area through its achievements and accomplishments.
Keystone Award
Craig Campbell
Honors a person/couple who has continually been a source of support to his or her community. The keystone is that wedge-shaped piece at the crown of an arch that locks the other pieces into place. Said another way; it is something on which associated things depend for support. This is the true meaning of giving of one’s talents and time at the highest level to make our community a better place.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports April 25
Gordon Parks Museum Receives Humanities Kansas Grant
TOPEKA – Humanities Kansas recently awarded $6,979 to the Gordon Parks Museum in Fort Scott to support “Langston Hughes and Gordon Parks Exhibit Display,” a moveable exhibit that explores the works and friendship between two cultural giants who had roots in Kansas. Kirk Sharp serves as project director.
This project will produce exhibit panel displays with a theme that highlights both Langston’s and Gordon’s lives and careers. The displays will target the history, journey, friendship, collaborations and connection of these two pioneers in the field of arts.
The panel displays will include graphics, photos and text information and follow both of their journeys as a poet and photographer, respectively and their impact on the arts. These panels will be portable, so they could easily be moved and displayed at different universities, libraries, and organizations across the state
of Kansas.
The project will also feature the launch of the exhibit display and speakers’ presentation on Langston Hughes and Gordon Parks, during the 20th annual Gordon Parks Celebration at the Gordon Parks Museum in Fort Scott, Kansas on October 5–7, 2023.
During the celebration, there will also be a digital
interactive display on Langston Hughes and Gordon Parks. “The exhibit displays creates a great opportunity in helping to keep both of the legacies and triumphs of Langston Hughes and Gordon Parks
alive.” said Kirk Sharp, Gordon Parks Museum Executive Director.
“Humanities Kansas believes that Kansans are energized by people engaging with history,” said Julie Mulvihill, Humanities Kansas Executive Director. “This traveling exhibit project will connect people with their past and strengthen a sense of community and pride of place.”
About Humanities Kansas
Humanities Kansas is an independent nonprofit spearheading a movement of ideas to empower the people of Kansas to strengthen their communities and our democracy.
Since 1972, HK’s pioneering programming, grants, and partnerships have documented and shared stories to spark conversations and
generate insights.
Together with statewide partners and supporters, HK inspires all Kansans to draw on diverse histories, literatures, and cultures to enrich their lives and to serve the communities and state we all proudly call home. Visit humanitieskansas.org.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Local Project Director Kirk Sharp
Executive Director Gordon Parks Museum
2108 S. Horton St
Fort Scott, KS 66701 620–223–2700, ext. 5850,
kirks@ fortscott.edu
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Locara: Local Products/Services Listed on Internet Platform Courtesy of HBCAT
Locara Inc. is a new business partner with Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, HBCAT.
“Locara is a platform that supports small businesses by expanding their local customer base beyond word of mouth channels,” according to Tylor Hunn cofounder. “We offer a cost-effective and user-friendly e-commerce solution for these business owners to connect with local buyers.”
HBCAT has paid for up to 80 local businesses to have their products and services listed on the Locara platform for a year, which is a value of $60 per business, Hunn said.
They launched their website on April 5, https://www.locara.us in partnership with HBCAT and their Dare to Dream event.
“Through our partnership with HBCAT, we are piloting our startup in the Fort Scott area, helping local businesses display their products and services and expand their reach,” Hunn said. “We believe that this partnership is a great opportunity to support the growth and success of small businesses in the community.”
Hunn is chief executive officer of the business and Ali Zia is his technical partner.
They are registered in a small town in upstate New York, Chittenango.
They have been in business for two months and have five employees.
“Locara provides a location-based platform for small businesses to list and showcase their products and services online,” he said. “This means that these businesses can create a digital storefront where they can display pictures, descriptions, and pricing of their products or services, just like in a physical store.”
“We realized that small, local businesses face a range of difficulties including limited resources, limited visibility, and challenges competing with larger corporations,” Hunn said. “We have also noticed a large movement towards people wanting to support local, but very few actually do because there is no easy way to discover all the businesses around them, but more specifically, discover what they are selling.”
Locara’s internet platform centralizes all the small businesses in a community into a single storefront where local buyers can more easily find and purchase what they need, Hunn said.
“For example, imagine a local mother who makes and sells crafts from home but, from her experience sewing her kid’s clothes back together, she also wants to offer clothing repair services,” he said. “This woman can list each of the crafts and services she wants to sell. The community is then able to visit our website and browse through this mother’s products and services like they would be browsing on Amazon or Walmart’s website with the exception that everything listed on the website is from a local business. Our goal is to create an easier experience not only for small, local businesses to showcase what they sell, but also for buyers to find and make purchases from local businesses.”
Contact info:
- Email – [email protected]
- Phone – (315) 633-2219
Obituary of Elouise S. Young
Elouise S. Young, born May 20, 1938, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, went home to be with the Lord April 1, 2023.
Elouise graduated from North Division High School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Elouise met and married Junior L. Young on the 17th Day of October 1963. Together and with help from their parents, they raised the fearsome foursome, Shirley, (Cookie), Willie, David, and Terri. Four dynamic children who have made positive contributions to the community and raised beautiful families. Elouise and Junior were blessed with a lot of grandchildren, and great grandchildren.
In addition to raising her children Elouise entered the workforce. She worked for her father in his dry cleaning business for a period of time. She later became a nurse’s assistant at Milwaukee County Mental Health Hospital, where she would retire after 30 years of what she considered to be a much needed service to her community.
Upon retirement, Elouise focused on surrounding herself with her family and friends. She and her husband (Junior), moved back to Ft. Scott, Kansas. Later Elouise would move to Pittsburg, Kansas and later to Dover, Delaware.
She enjoyed traveling. She loved spending time with her road buddy Myrtle (Myrt) before Myrt moved to California. Later, Elouise would travel up and down the Kansas highways with Louise. Driving was her favorite source of transportation. Give her a cup of ice and a full tank and she would drive until she reached her destination. She would travel from Kansas to Wisconsin to spend time with family and friends and on to Texas to be with family and later to Delaware (where she finally retired those car keys).
Elouise especially loved attending and serving in her church United Missionary Baptist Church. She served her community, picking up food from the food pantry with her friend and delivering to those in need. Elouise served on several community boards. She was a strong woman with a strong will to live. She endured hardness as a good soldier. Elouise fought the good fight of faith and has finished the race and kept the faith.
Elouise lived life to the fullest extent. She left earth on an empty tank. Elouise poured out all she had. She left with no regrets. Her relationship with the LORD Jesus Christ was sealed and she was prepared and ready to go. Leaving peacefully in her sleep after hearing the loving voices of family and friends on the phone, just hours before leaving the earth.
Elouise was preceded in death by her husband Junior L. Young, her father and mother Dwight and Virginia Ayers; sister Rose, son, David, brothers; Peach, Ronnie and Dennis.
Elouise was a mom, grandmother, “grannie”, auntie, sister and friend. She loved her family dearly. Nothing gave her greater joy than to spend time with her family, eat chinese food, and laugh.
Elouise leaves behind daughter, Shirley (Cookie), one son Willie (Beth), daughter Terri; grandchildren; Larry (Caronda), Willie, Tami’ca, Brandin, Quincy, Eleana and Dalisa, great grandchildren; Deriyel, Lazzarus, Larriontae, Omunique, La’Zerious, Zavion, Za’Laya, Quincy Jr, Cameron, Mikyla, Princess, Israel, Braylie, Nikkita, Yaylan, Isabella; great-great grandchildren;
Nia’Loni, Harlym, Mila, Ka’leyan ; brother Delbert Ayers; two special ladies in her life Myrtle Anne Colum and Louise Nelson.
Memorial Service: United Missionary Baptist Church
Saturday, May 6, 2023 1:00 PM
16 North Ransom Street,
Ft Scott, Kansas 66701
(620) 223-5267
Date: May 5, 2023 Time: 11:00
Burial Site: West Plains Cemetery, Ft. Scott, Kansas
Burial Site Services by: Cheney Witt Chapel
Repass: United Missionary Baptist Church
Time: 1:30
Southeast Kansas Library Monthly Newsletter
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The SEKnFind Newsletter
April 2023
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Obituary of Hazel Dickerson
Hazel Maxine Dickerson, age 92, resident of Bronson, KS, died Friday, April 21, 2023, at St. Luke’s East Hospital in Lee’s Summit, MO. She was born June 14, 1930, in Fort Scott, KS the daughter of Ray Fred Stewart and Nellie Hazel Robinson Stewart. She attended South Fairview elementary school and graduated from Moran, KS high school in 1948. She lived in Kansas City and attended business school. Maxine married Marvin Gene Dickerson on December 31, 1950, in Bronson. After Gene’s service in the Army in Alaska, they resided near Anchorage for 19 years homesteading their land and building their home. Maxine was employed at Elmendorf Air Force Base for several years before staying home full time to provide foster care for 3 native Eskimo children. In 1969, Maxine and Gene, along with their son Joe, moved back to Kansas to the family farm north of Bronson. They farmed and had a hog farrowing operation until retirement. Maxine loved being outdoors and working on the farm with Gene. Their recreation was the bowling league team for several years and traveling to participate in tournaments throughout the U.S. Maxine was very community minded and was involved in local clubs and committees. She served on the Bronson Library Board for several years. She was a member of the Bronson Ruritan and Bronson Methodist Church. She was chosen as a co-grand Marshal in 2017 to lead the Bronson Day Parade in a convertible car. Maxine enjoyed her cats, making quilts, playing cards, jigsaw puzzles, and was an avid reader. She loved spending time with her grandchildren.
Survivors include her son Joe Dickerson and wife Paula, Bronson, KS; a brother, Buford Stewart and wife Bea, Bronson, KS; a sister, Vera Scifers and husband Reid, Fort Scott, KS; grandson, Tristan Dickerson; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Gene, and granddaughter Jordan Bailey Dickerson.
There was cremation. Memorial services will be held at 10:00 AM Tuesday, May 2nd, at the Bronson United Methodist Church. Burial will follow in the U. S. National Cemetery at 1:30 PM. Memorials are suggested to the Bronson Library 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 to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports April 24
One Foot in Front of the Other by Carolyn Tucker
Keys to the Kingdom By Carolyn Tucker
Many years ago I played and sang for a funeral in Pleasanton. I specifically remember that the family had requested, “You’ll Never Walk Alone.” Prior to the service, I was sitting at the piano and arranging my music when the minister approached me. He asked me about the song because he was unfamiliar with it and wanted to make sure it was appropriate for the occasion. I smiled and responded, “Yes, it’s a fine song,” and to really drive it on home I added, “Elvis recorded it.”
“The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand” (Psalm 37:23,24 NLT). Every step Christ followers take in obedience toward spiritual renewal and wholeness matters. God’s children are to have the faith to believe and trust where their final destination will be at the end of this earthly life. However, the exact twists and turns are known only to Him as He gently whispers to us the best route (if we care to pay attention). Not paying attention to God’s leading is one of our biggest hindrances. We need to fine-tune our ears and spirit to His voice so we’ll know how and where to walk.
Sometimes believers are tempted to try to walk in someone else’s footsteps. Getting our eyes off of Jesus and onto another human being is unwise and discouraging. When someone retires or dies, you might hear these words: “Yes, he left some really big shoes to fill.“ Truthfully, we aren’t supposed to fill anyone else’s shoes, we’re supposed to fill our own. Trying to walk in someone’s shoes is simply too hard because they don’t fit. God has designed an individual pathway system for every person on planet earth.
God’s Word tells Christians to hold firmly to what we believe. “So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16 NLT). We aren’t supposed to come to God with a spiritual-inferiority complex. We can confidently approach our loving heavenly Father to receive what we need when the chips are down.
Since God is faithful, we can rely on Him to show us our next steps. Life is too complicated and we’re too goofy to walk it out on our own. “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For His Spirit joins with our spirit to affirm that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:14,16 NLT). God wants His children (believers) to utilize the privileges of who we are in Christ. And we’re either righteous or we’re not — there‘s no gray area. “For it is not from man that we draw our life but from God as we are being joined to Jesus, the Anointed One. And now He is our God-given wisdom, our virtue, our holiness, and our redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30 TPT).
My grown and married kids don’t knock on my door — they just walk in. They understand who they are in relationship to me and they understand their privileges. They don’t timidly ask if they may have a glass of tea or a cookie. They know they have the right to access whatever I have because they are mine and I love them. Believers need to tap into what belongs to us because of who we are in relationship to our heavenly Father. He delights in giving generously to His kids.
The Key: Be still, listen for God’s voice, and keep putting one foot in front of the other.