U234 Board of Education Agenda For Special Meeting on Feb. 27

BOARD OF EDUCATION SPECIAL MEETING

FEBRUARY 27, 2023 – 5:30 P.M.

PUBLIC AGENDA

 

1.0       Call Meeting to Order         

Danny Brown, President

 

2.0       Flag Salute

 

3.0       Long-Term & Capital Improvement Needs (Information/Discussion)

 

4.0       Other Business – Personnel Matters (Action Item)

 

4.1       Enter Executive Session – Personnel Matters (Action Item)

4.2       Exit Executive Session

4.3       Approval of Personnel Report (Action Item)

 

5.0       Adjourn Meeting                                          Danny Brown, President

 

Books to Read: Southeast Kansas Library System

We hope you enjoy this newsletter sent as a courtesy to adult patrons of a southeast Kansas library using the SEKnFind catalog.
This selection of titles are NEW at a SEKnFind library and available for a hold.
Need assistance? Your local librarian can show you how!
Happy Reading!

New Fiction

The crane husband
by Kelly Regan Barnhill

“Award-winning author Kelly Barnhill brings her singular talents to The Crane Husband, a raw, powerful story of love, sacrifice, and family. “Mothers fly away like migrating birds. This is why farmers have daughters.” A fifteen-year-old teenager is the backbone of her small Midwestern family, budgeting the household finances and raising her younger brother while her mother, a talented artist, weaves beautiful tapestries. For six years, it’s been just the three of them-her mother has brought home guests at times, but none have ever stayed. Yet when her mother brings home a six-foot tall crane with a menacing air, the girl is powerless to prevent her mom letting the intruder into her heart, and her children’s lives. Utterly enchanted and numb to his sharp edges, her mother abandons the world around her to weave the masterpiece the crane demands. In this stunning contemporary retelling of “The Crane Wife” by the Newbery Award-winning author of The Girl Who Drank the Moon, one fiercely pragmatic teen forced to grow up faster than was fair will do whatever it takes to protect her family-and change the story”

City under one roof
by Iris Yamashita

Detective Cara Kennedy investigates a murder in a small Alaskan town after a local teen discovers a severed hand and foot washed up on the shore, teaming up with a town police officer as bad weather approaches. 50,000 first printing.

Midnight duet : a novel
by Jen Comfort

Retreating to Paris, Nevada, after an on-stage accident destroys her career, Erika Greene, to save the opera house she inherited from falling into the hands of a greedy developer, leases the space to glam rock god Christof Daae with whom she makes beautiful music until reality sets in. Original.

Maame
by Jessica George

“Maame (ma-meh) has many meanings in Twi but in my case, it means woman. It’s fair to say that Maddie’s life in London is far from rewarding. With a mother who spends most of her time in Ghana (yet still somehow manages to be overbearing), Maddie is the primary caretaker for her father, who suffers from advanced stage Parkinson’s. At work, her boss is a nightmare and Maddie is tired of always being the only Black person in every meeting. When her mum returns from her latest trip to Ghana, Maddie leaps at the chance to get out of the family home and finally start living. A self-acknowledged late bloomer, she’s ready to experience some important “firsts”: She finds a flat share, says yes to after-work drinks, pushes for more recognition in her career, and throws herself into the bewildering world of internet dating. But it’s not long before tragedy strikes, forcing Maddie to face the true nature of her unconventional family, and the perils–and rewards–of putting her heart on the line. Smart, funny, and deeply affecting, Jessica George’s Maame deals with the themes of our time with humor and poignancy: from familial duty and racism, to female pleasure, the complexity of love, and the life-saving power of friendship. Most important, it explores what it feels like to be torn between two homes and cultures-and it celebrates finally being able to find where you belong”

Really good, actually : a novel
by Monica Heisey

Determined to embrace her new life as a “Surprisingly Young Divorcě,” 29-year-old Maggie, with the help of her tough-loving academic advisor, her newly divorced friend and her group chat, barrels through her first year of singledom, searching for what truly makes her happy. 100,000 first printing.

The chemistry of love
by Sariah Wilson

A geeky, brilliant, cosmetic chemist, Anna Ellis, to win over Craig Kimball, the man of her dreams and her boss starts fake dating Craig’s half-brother Marco, with whom Craig is super competitive, as an experiment in attraction until her feelings for Marco become all-too real. Original.

All hallows
by Christopher Golden

On Halloween night in 1984 Coventry, Massachusetts, four children in vintage costumes with faded, eerie makeup blend in with the neighborhood kids trick-or-treating, begging to be hidden and kept safe from The Cunning Man. 60,000 first printing.

Meru
by S. B. Divya

Jayanthi, a posthuman descendant, and her pilot Vaha are sent to test the habitability of an Earthlike planet called Meru, an unoccupied new world and the future of human-alloy relations — a journey that challenges their resolve in unexpected ways as they discover they’ve been set up to fail. Original.

The magician’s daughter
by H. G. Parry

“It is 1912, and for the last seventy years magic has all but disappeared from the world. Yet magic is all Biddy has ever known. Orphaned as a baby, Biddy grew up on Hy-Brasil, a legendary island off the coast of Ireland hidden by magic and glimpsed by rare travelers who return with stories of wild black rabbits and a lone magician in a castle. To Biddy, the island is her home, a place of ancient trees and sea-salt air and mysteries, and the magician, Rowan, is her guardian. She loves both, but as her seventeenth birthday approaches, she is stifled by her solitude and frustrated by Rowan’s refusal to let her leave. One night, Rowan fails to come home from his mysterious travels. To rescue him, Biddy ventures into his nightmares and learns not only where he goes every night, but that Rowan has powerful enemies. Determination to protect her home and her guardian, Biddy’s journey will take her away from the safety of her childhood, to the poorhouses of Whitechapel, a secret castle beneath London streets, the ruins of an ancient civilization, and finally to a desperate chance to restore lost magic. But the closer she comes to answers, the more she comes to question everything she has ever believed about Rowan, her own origins, and the cost of bringing magic back into the world”

A castle in Brooklyn : a novel
by Shirley Russak Wachtel

“1944, Poland. Jacob Stein and Zalman Mendelson meet as boys under terrifying circumstances. They survive by miraculously escaping, but their shared past haunts and shapes their lives forever. Years later, Zalman plows a future on a Minnesota farm. In Brooklyn, Jacob has a new life with his wife, Esther. When Zalman travels to New York City to reconnect, Jacob’s hopes for the future are becoming a reality. With Zalman’s help, they build a house for Jacob’s family and for Zalman, who decides to stay. Modest and light filled, inviting and warm with acceptance–for all of them, it’s a castle to call home. Then an unforeseeable tragedy–and the grief, betrayals, and revelations in its wake–threatens to destroy what was once an unbreakable bond, and Esther finds herself at a crossroads”

The bullet garden
by Stephen Hunter

In 1944 Normandy, when German snipers start picking off hundreds of Allied soldiers every day, Pacific hero Earl Swagger, assigned this crucial and bloody mission, must infiltrate the shadowy corners of London and France to expose the traitor who is tipping off these snipers with the locations of American GIs.

A Cow Hunter’s Lament and Other Stories
by Larry D. Sweazy

“Award-winning novelist Larry D. Sweazy’s first published short story collection features eleven western stories, including a new short story, “A Cow Hunter’s Lament.” Three of the stories, “Rattlesnakes and Skunks,” “Lost Mountain Pass,” and “Shadow of the Crow,” are origin stories for Sweazy’s series characters Josiah Wolfe, Trusty Dawson, and Sonny Burton. The stories are traditional westerns with a few that have underlying mysteries, as well as two that have supernatural elements, all written in Sweazy’s signature atmospheric style. All of the stories feature western characters challenged by the landscape and loneliness they exist in, overcoming adversity, with a respect for history, along with plenty of expected action”

New Audiobooks

The Nazi conspiracy : the secret plot to kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill
by Brad Meltzer

In this gripping true story of daring rescues, body doubles and political intrigue, the New York Times best-selling authors of The First Conspiracy and The Lincoln Conspiracy reveal the Nazi’s plans to kill FDR, Joseph Stalin and Winston Churchill?—?an assassination plot that would’ve changed history. 300,000 first printing.

Hell bent
by Leigh Bardugo

Assembling a team of dubious allies, Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to find a gateway to the underworld and rescue Darlington from purgatory

Someone else’s shoes : a novel
by Jojo Moyes

When she accidentally takes the wrong gym bag, Sam Kemp tries on a pair of six-inch high Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes that give her the confidence to change her life, while the shoes’ owner tries to cling to her glamorous life after her husband cuts her off

New Nonfiction

B.F.F. : a memoir of friendship lost and found
by Christie Tate

The author of the New York Times bestseller Group reflects on her lifelong struggles to sustain female friendship and how the return of an old friend helped her explore the reasons she has avoided attachment.

Unraveling : what I learned about life while shearing sheep, dyeing wool, and making the world’s ugliest sweater
by Peggy Orenstein

Sharing her year-long journey as a daughter, wife, mother, writer and maker, the New York Times best-selling author, a lifelong knitter, shows how she, to keep herself engaged and cope with a series of seismic shifts in family life, set out to make a sweater from scratch. 75,000 first printing.

A minor revolution : how prioritizing kids benefits us all
by Adam Benforado

A revelatory investigation into how America is failing its children, and an urgent manifesto on why helping them is the best way to improve all of our lives. By the New York Times best-selling author of Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Injustice.

Outsmart your brain : why learning is hard and how you can make it easy
by Daniel T. Willingham

Steeped in scientifically backed practical advice, this groundbreaking guide provides real-world practices and the latest research on how to train your brain for better learning.

Invention and innovation : a brief history of hype and failure
by Vaclav Smil

“Smil presents the long history and modern infatuation with invention and innovation. Meticulous as always, these vast realms of human ingenuity are organized into sensible categories: inventions that went from welcome to undesirable, inventions that dominate and missed the mark, inventions we still dream about, and lastly, the exaggerations, myths, and wise expectations for innovations we need most”

How medicine works and when it doesn’t : learning who to trust to get and stay healthy
by F. Perry Wilson

A noted physician and medical research discusses how big Pharma and healthcare corporations has eroded the faith of both doctors and patients and why our interactions with medical professionals feel less personal and impactful. 40,000 first printing.

Continue reading Books to Read: Southeast Kansas Library System

Heart Month: Ascension Via Christi Hospital

#HeartMonth feature: Kristy Tippie, RN, Heart Center at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg

Kristy Tippie. Submitted photo.

 

Kristy Tippie, RN, who began her nursing career 21 years ago at Ascension Via Christi Hospital, has spent the past 10 years serving in its Heart Center.

“I picked a career in healthcare for the flexibility,” says Tippie. “If you get ‘burnt out’ in one area, there are so many others that you can go into.”

The Heart Center, located inside the main hospital building, provides minimally and non-invasive diagnostic testing services like angiograms, pacemaker implantations, electrocardiograms, echocardiograms, stress tests and more.

Tippie’s typical day includes setting up for the day’s procedures, performing pre-op with the patient and following through with their care until they are transferred to another department.

She says her favorite part of the job is one-on-one time with patients. Following the patient from when they arrive to when they’re transferred out of the Heart Center gives her the chance to establish a rapport with them and their family.

“I enjoy working for Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg because the size of the facility allows us to provide our patients with a personal experience,” says Tippie.

As a reminder during Heart Month, Tippie suggests trying your best to eat healthy and stay active, even if it’s just a short walk. She also suggests listening to your body and not being afraid to ask questions when you have concerns.

To learn more about cardiac services at Ascension Via Christi, go to ascension.org/viachristiheart.

 

 

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About Ascension Via Christi

 

In Kansas, Ascension Via Christi operates seven hospitals and 75 other sites of care and employs nearly 6,400 associates. Across the state, Ascension Via Christi provided nearly $89 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in fiscal year 2021. Serving Kansas for more than 135 years, Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. Ascension is the leading non-profit and Catholic health system in the U.S., operating more than 2,600 sites of care – including 145 hospitals and more than 40 senior living facilities – in 19 states and the District of Columbia. Visit www.ascension.org

Bo Co Coalition Meets March 1 at Scottview Apartments

The monthly Bourbon County Coalition  meeting will be Wednesday, March 1, 1:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at the Scottview Apartments, 315 S. Scott.

Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition

General Membership Meeting Agenda

 

March 1, 2023

 

 

  1. Welcome: 

 

 

  1. Member Introductions and Announcements:

 

 

  1. Program: Bailey Lyons and possibly others of her committee will tell us about the project and progress of the Splash Pad.

 

 

  1. Open Forum:

 

 

  1. Adjournment:  Next General Membership meeting will be April 5, at 1:00 p.m.  Carson Felt and an ensemble from the FSHS orchestra will present our program.

Spring Fling March 24 at Preschool: Family Resource Providers Needed

Preview Changes (opens in a new tab)USD 234 School District is seeking family resource providers and community partners for its’ 2023 Early Childhood Spring Fling, according to info provided by Fort Scott Preschool Center Principal Nick Johnson.

This year’s event will be held on Thursday, April 6th from 5:30-7:00 PM at the Fort Scott Preschool Center.  All children ages birth-six years old and their families are invited to attend. A grant through the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation is helping support this year’s Early Childhood Spring Fling.

 

“For this event, we are asking family resource providers and community partners to bring an interactive activity for students and families,” he said. “We will provide space and a table for your activity. During the event, you will also have an opportunity to visit with families and distribute flyers, handouts, giveaways, etc.”

 ” We had 255 children and their families attend our Trunk-or-Treat event, and we are expecting 250-300 children at this event,” he said. “Our goal is for children and families to interact, be active, and learn about the resources available in our community.  If you are a preschool or childcare provider, please share the attached flyer with your families.  We also welcome you to set up an activity and table for your program.”

To attend the event, please complete the short form below by Friday, March 24 to have a table reserved for your organization.

 

Spring Fling Registration

 

For more info:

[email protected]

(620) 223-8965

Friday Evening Lenten Fish Fry Begins Tonight

Kennedy Gym, a wing of the  Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, is located at 7th and Holbrook.

This evening is the first of six Lenten Fish Dinners that the Knights of Columbus prepare for the community as a fund raiser.

From Feb. 24 until March 31 the community is invited to join the people of Mary Queen of Angels Church for a fish dinner each Friday evening. The event is located in the Kennedy Gym at 7th and Eddy Street.

“Everyone is welcome, there is a free will offering,” Joe (Calvin) Barr, a Knight, said. “We do ask for a minimum of $8 for a to-go dinner. We generally do 75 to-go dinners each week.”

“We’ve had as high as 514 at one time in attendance,” Barr said. “400 is the average. During the COVID Pandemic there was a drive-through meal.”

The Menu

“It’s the same great fish: Southern-fried catfish, baked white fish, baked potato or french fries, coleslaw, drinks and all the wonderful desserts from the women of the church,” Mark McCoy one of the Knights, said. “For those who don’t like fish, we have spaghetti.”

This is the fish fry in Feb. 2020.

The event starts at 5 p.m. and goes to 7 p.m.  and is each Friday until March 31.  Good Friday is April 7 in 2023.

This year all funds go to rebuilding of the church, which was destroyed by fire in August 2022.

Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, November 4, 2022

 

 

 

Commerce Makes $4.1M in Community Service Tax Credits Available

 

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Commerce today announced $4.1 million in tax credits will once again be made available under the Community Service Tax Credit Program (CSP).

CSP assists private nonprofit organizations and public healthcare entities undertaking major capital campaigns for projects involving:

  • Community service, including childcare
  • Non-governmental crime prevention
  • Youth apprenticeship and technical training
  • Healthcare services.

Under this program, the state authorizes nonprofit organizations to offer tax credits to donors making contributions towards approved projects. Organizations are chosen through a competitive selection process. The application window is open from March 1 through April 30, 2023, at kansascommerce.gov/csp. Applicants may request up to $200,000 in tax credits.

Proposed projects should be unique or one-time in nature and create lasting value for charitable organizations. For example, projects might include a capital campaign, major equipment purchase, major renovation, capacity building, etc. As was the case in 2022, CSP has earmarked up to $1 million for childcare and early childhood development projects for services to those under the age of 5.

Applicant organizations in rural areas (less than 15,000 population) are eligible for a 70 percent credit. Applicant organizations in non-rural areas are eligible for a 50 percent credit.

If your organization is interested in applying for the CSP program, the Department of Commerce invites you to an introductory webinar at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, March 1. Registration is required. For more information and to register, click here.

For questions regarding CSP Tax Credits, contact Community Development Specialist Sara Bloom at [email protected] or (785) 506-9278.

About the Kansas Department of Commerce

As the state’s lead economic development agency, the Kansas Department of Commerce strives to empower individuals, businesses and communities to achieve prosperity in Kansas. Commerce accomplishes its mission by developing relationships with corporations, site location consultants and stakeholders in Kansas, the nation and world. Our strong partnerships allow us to help create an environment for existing Kansas businesses to grow and foster an innovative, competitive landscape for new businesses. Through Commerce’s project successes, Kansas was awarded Area Development Magazine’s prestigious Gold Shovel award in 2021 and 2022, and was awarded the 2021 Governor’s Cup by Site Selection Magazine

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Chamber Announces Spring Open House, Find the Golden Egg Shopping Event

Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Center, 321 E. Wall

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 24th and 25th.  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. Participating retailers include 110 South Main, Angie Dawn’s Boutique, Barbed Wire & Roses Vintage Market, Bids & Dibs, Hare & Crow Art Gallery, Hedgehog.INK! Bookstore & More, Iron Star Antiques & Such, Laree + Co., Mayco Ace Hardware Store, Museum of Creativity Gift Shop, Ruddick’s Furniture & Flooring, Sekan’s Occasion Shop, Shirt Shack, Sunshine Boutique, and Varia Quality Resale Clothing.

 

In addition to the shopping fun that weekend, there will be plastic multi-colored eggs hidden around Downtown on Saturday the 25th after 10 a.m. suitable for young children to find.

 

The Chamber encourages the community to join the hunt on March 24th-25th. Get ‘egg-cited’ to shop local.  Contact the Chamber for more information at 620-223-3566.

Where Are Those Clydesdales? by Patty LaRoche

Dave and I, currently living in Mexico, hosted a Super Bowl party for Americans whose teams had been eliminated, leading up to the contest between the K.C. Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles.          The hype surrounding this event, not just for the game but for the commercials and halftime entertainment, left many anticipating great things.

 

Perhaps it’s that we are old, but we were disappointed. Some ads asked us to “scan the code” that appeared on the screen.  We had no idea what (if anything) we were buying.  Others were classic non-sequiturs; did Hellman’s mayonnaise really want us to eat the people lounging in the refrigerator?

Advertisers spent $7 million for each 30 second commercial.  Today, I ran into a viewer who made this comment: “Apparently, all that money went into hiring name actors and not into paying writers to come up with anything creative.” David Warschawski from the “Baltimore Business Journal,” agrees: “So many brands are relying on celebrity cache to try and make an impression and win new customers, but that is far from enough. Getting laughs or being silly or simply inserting a celebrity does not a great ad make.”

Please, bring back the Clydesdales.

That being said, there were some commercials I appreciated like the “Jesus Gets Us” ones, even though attacked from the left—who claim that Jesus never would condone spending millions on a Super Bowl ad—and the right who say that showing refugees defends the border crisis.  Still, even our atheist friends appreciated the ingenuity of these ads that were, at least, understandable.

The Jesus Gets Us campaign, which first launched in March 2022, is being run by the “Servant Foundation” — a nonprofit based in Overland Park, Kansas.  Jason Vanderground, the ad’s spokesman, answered the criticism: “The goal is that the two commercials will not only inspire those who may be skeptical of Christianity to ask questions and learn more about Jesus, but also encourage Christians to live out their faith even better and exhibit the same confounding love and forgiveness Jesus modelled.”

They want to reach the most people they can for Christ.

I love that about their commercials.  We all need to be talking more about Jesus. Even if we are criticized.

As for the Super Bowl halftime show, we were left scratching our heads. Again, maybe we can blame our age.  What did the dancers in the puffy, white costumes represent?  Marshmallows?  Zombies? Hazmat suits? Eskimos? Cheap costumes left over from some U.F.O. show?  Give me a marching college band any day.  Better yet, give me an inspiring praise and worship team. At least then I could share that time with my family. Rihanna’s behavior was anything but child-friendly.

This probably sounds strange, but I began wondering what would happen if Jesus appeared during the Super Bowl halftime performance.  Who would garner the most attention?  Would screaming, adoring fans still think Rihanna’s inappropriate grab deserved their adulation and be disappointed that Jesus had interrupted their idol’s performance?  Or would this be the wake-up call everyone needs?

I pray it would be the latter…but I have my doubts.

Bourbon County Local News