We Need Each Other by Patty LaRoche
Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection
www.alittlefaithlift.com
AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
With one, dull, uncooperative blade shaving my legs, I turned to a new one (blade, not leg). This one had not two but five blades, guaranteeing that the hair missed by the first four would be clipped by the last. Only, when I was finished, my legs were no smoother. Perhaps I needed a razor with ten blades since these five had not done their job. I tried again, shaving slower and more deliberately. No difference. Scissors would have been more effective.
Clearly, I had gotten ripped off on this razor. I would return it and ask for my money back. Later that morning, I told Dave that they didn’t make razors like they used to. He asked to look at it. “Maybe if you put the blades in the correct way instead of upside down, that will help.” Seriously? How had I not figured that out? What was wrong with me? Dave appreciated that he wasn’t the only one who messed up.
Two hours before, we were to load our mower onto the trailer to take to our friend who would change the oil and filters, sharpen and level the blades. A team effort.
Hubby, after three tries, found where he had stashed the key that unlocked the cabinet that held the trailer hitch and the tie-downs and after two tries, found the key that unlocked the trailer hitch. He backed the truck up to the trailer, aided by my keen eye to direct him to reverse in a straight line. He was masterful as he moved levers and connected hooks and electrical cables to ensure the trailer was properly attached to the trailer hitch. We checked and triple-checked every possibility for the trailer not to come unhinged. It was a proud moment for my manual man.
We lowered the back ramp so he could ride the mower up onto the trailer. Imagine my surprise when he exited the garage on our golf cart, the golf cart that runs on batteries and is, last I checked, incapable of cutting a blade of grass. Perhaps he was just moving it out of the way for the mower? No. When he came zipping around the corner, heading for the trailer, I realized that he was having a “moment” where not all cylinders were firing. I admit, I had my own “moment” and thought of letting him load the golf cart, use his tie-downs to anchor it, and drive it to the repair person who would, of course, find this as hysterical as I did.
But as a submissive, Christian woman (ahem), I realized that God might not find that as funny as I did, and since I am to be Dave’s helpmate, I kindly (well, sort of) reminded Hubby that he was driving a golf cart and not a lawnmower. Actually, I cracked up. And so did he.
And here I was, two hours later, asking for help for a blade I had inserted upside down into the razor handle. It’s easy at those times to point out each other’s inadequacies, ignoring Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) which tells us to be kind and tenderhearted. Dave and I know that our brains aren’t what they used to be. We now help each other with a word or name that escapes us, remind our partner that a tag is out or a zipper down, assist-drive from the passenger seat, repeat our daily schedules (multiple times) and fill each other’s gaps, gaps that are widening each day.
Most of all, we try to find humor in our mess-ups. I think that God appreciates that. I hope we always find them as funny as we do now.
American Legion Will Not Host Bingo In August
American Legion Post #25 ,Fort Scott, KS , will not have bingo games the month of August but will return the games in September.
Submitted by Jessica Allison, Commander.
FSHS Tiger Newsletter August 2024
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Attendance/Discipline Secretary: [email protected] Activities/Athletics Secretary: [email protected] |
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Breakfast is free for all USD 234 students. For Fort Scott High School students, it’s $3.00 per lunch. Free and reduced lunch applications can be completed during enrollment. You can also access the link on the district website under Free / Reduced Meals App 9-12. The direct link is: https://schoolmealsapp.ksde.or Paper free/reduced application forms are available from FSHS or the board office and may be submitted anytime during the school year. |
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In addition to your FSHS sports schedules, you can also access sports physical and concussion forms. Click the above link. Sports physicals are being administered at Urgent Care and a completed CHC/SEK consent-to-treat form is required. That form can also be accessed through this link. |
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CLICK IMAGE ABOVE FOR THE INFORMATION (ALSO POSTED ON THE FSHS WEBSITE)! |
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1:03 PM (5 hours ago)
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Tax Holiday This Weekend in Fort Scott
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KS July Tax Collections Below Estimate
July Total Tax Collections at 660.3 Million; 1.0% Below the Estimate
TOPEKA – The State of Kansas ended July 2024 with total tax collections at $660.3 million. That is $6.4 million, or 1.0%, below the estimate. Total tax collections are down 3.0% from July 2023.
Individual income tax collections were $308.5 million, which is $8.5 million, or 2.8% above the estimate and down 1.7% from July 2023. Corporate income tax collections were $34.3 million, which is $15.7 million, or 31.4%, below the estimate and down 23.3% from July 2023.
Combined retail sales and compensating use tax receipts were $305.1 million, which is $4.1 million, or 1.4% above the estimate, and down $10.1 million, or 3.2%, from July 2023. Retail sales tax receipts are 3.7% less than the July 2023 collections as Kansans continue to save money on groceries from the reduced state food sales tax rate.
Click here to view the July 2024 revenue numbers.
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New USD 234 Teachers: Oxholm, Prine, Jones
This is part of a series of new teachers in USD 234 School District, Fort Scott. There are 24 new teachers and two new administrators in the district.
School starts for students on August 16.
There are five campuses in the district:
- Fort Scott Preschool Center (serving pre-kindergarten students ages 3+)
- Winfield Scott Elementary School (serving kindergarten through through second-grade students)
- Eugene Ware Elementary School (serving third through fifth-grade students)
- Fort Scott Middle School (serving sixth through eighth-grade students)
- Fort Scott High School (serving ninth through twelfth-grade students)
According to its website, the district has nearly two thousand students enrolled within the district and over 350+ staff members.
Chris Oxholm , 34, is a new Fort Scott High School Special Education teachers.
He earned degrees from the Mass. College of Liberal Arts (BA), and Colorado Christian University (MEd) and has four years of teaching experience.
In his spare time, “You can catch me with Ashley and the kids down at the Pool! We are new to Kansas but we love this cool town so far!”
They have been married since September 3, 2016, and have three children; Charles (6), Frannie (4), and little Emma (2).
“We also live with our Nanny, Miss Dana, and our two Standard Poodles, Fenway and Wrigley. “
“The best part about being an educator, for me, is seeing progress in students that have worked on something that they struggle with.”
“My biggest challenge as an educator has been maintaining the same energy all day.”
Amanda Prine, 37, is a new 2nd-grade teacher at Winfield Scott Elementary School.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Missouri Southern State University and a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Northwest Missouri State University.
She is entering her 14th year in education.
“During that time, I have worked as an elementary teacher and as the director of an early childhood center.”
She is a parishioner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Nevada, MO, where her family resides, and has recently finished a term serving on her local Parks and Recreation Board.
She and her husband, Lee, have two daughters, Aubrey and Lynleigh “as well as three dogs and two cats.”
” Aubrey will be entering her senior year in Nevada this school year and Lynleigh will be joining me in Fort Scott as she enters first grade!”
She said the best thing about being an educator is making a positive impact on our students and getting to witness the moment that learning concepts click for them as they learn something new.
For her the most challenging thing about being a teacher is “managing our time so that we can best meet the needs of each student while accounting for different levels of learners and learning styles.”
Taylor Jones, 23, is a new Spanish teacher at Fort Scott High School.
She earned a Bachelor of Arts, Modern Languages; emphasis in Spanish language and culture from Pittsburg State University class of 2023 and is a 2019 FSHS graduate.
“I am in the Transition to Teaching program through Fort Hayes State University, which will take me from a restricted teaching license to a professional teaching license while also getting my Masters of Science in Education,” she said.
Her community involvement includes volunteering with Core Communities in Fort Scott since November of 2023.
“I enjoy watching a variety of sports, music, and theatre events at the high school and college level. I also have been going to the Pittsburg Presbyterian Church since college, singing in the choir, playing instruments, and helping with the tech team.”
She is the eldest child of Joshua and Karen Jones and has a twin sister, Madison, and a younger brother, David.
“The best thing about being a new educator is the opportunity to make a meaningful impact on students’ lives while continuously learning and growing in the profession,” she said.
“One challenge of being a new teacher is balancing the various student needs while learning the ins and outs of the job.”
AD: Rick James for KS House of Representative, District 4
Rick James is a Republican candidate for the 4th district House of Representative, a position currently held by Trevor Jacobs. Trevor announced that he is not seeking another term.
Rick is passionate about protecting the conservative values of fellow Kansans. He understands that freedom is not merely a privilege but a birthright. He was raised in La Cygne, Kansas where he attended La Cygne elementary school and graduated from Prairie View High School in 1981. He entered the Marine Corps a few short days later serving a 30-year career. This career included serving in Desert Storm, Haiti, Iraqi Freedom, serving on embassy duty and as a Marine Drill instructor. He achieved the rank of Sergeant Major and was awarded the Bronze Star and Legion of Merit. He also obtained a bachelor’s and a master’s Degree from the American Military University.
There was never a doubt, that he would return to Eastern Kansas. He moved his family to a small farm near highway 69 in 2008 and completed his Marine Corps career at Richard Gebauer Base in Belton. He retired a decorated Marine in 2011.
Since retiring from the Marine Corps he opened two local businesses, Semper Fi Auction Services and Bravo Realty. The Marine Corps instilled a dedication to serving his community. In 2014 he ran for the district 1 Linn County Commissioner. He served 2 full terms from 2014-2022. He did not seek reelection for a third term because, he believes there should be term limits in government at all levels.
He has a personal interest in Kansas, he was a military leader and a small Business owner. He has conservative views!! He believes in the right to bear arms, he is pro-life, he believes in a smaller government and reduced taxes.
Politicians represent the people they serve, and he takes that very seriously! He would appreciate your vote on August 6. Click here to follow him on Facebook. Semper Fi and God Bless!
Paid for by Rick James for KS State Representative.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports August 1
Public Service Announcement: Don’t Remove Cones/Barricades AND Bring Back The Sign
Public Service Announcement: If there are cones or barricades blocking a work site please go around the block or go a different direction. Please do not remove the cones and drive through the worksite. All you are doing is tearing up the work and most of the time it has to be redone by City of Fort Scott Public Works crews. We have a citizen on video doing just this and will be looking for the person responsible.
I am personally trying to do the best I can to communicate to citizens daily about road closures, water outages, detours, or anything else that goes on; either on Facebook, the radio, or other media outlets, but it takes help from the citizens also. Please communicate to your neighbors.
We have a lot of projects going on right now in Fort Scott and maybe you are not used to this, but it is called progress. This progress is what the citizens of Fort Scott deserve. Remember, we pay a special 1/2 cent sales tax for street repairs, so every time you see someone tearing up work that was done by the city, and it has to be done again. It is taxpayers’ money being wasted.
I will continue to update citizens on things you need to know, and our staff/crews will do our best to eliminate any inconveniences that are caused by progress. Please help us by following the law.
The citizens of Fort Scott deserve better streets and infrastructure, but it will take time to get you what you deserve. It did not crumble overnight, and it will not be fixed overnight. Progress will continue and improvements will be made! We are not perfect so there will be mistakes along the way, but I can ensure you we will work hard to get things done.
Also, if you see our dang sign, bring it back!!!
if you have any questions please write me an email. [email protected].
Brad Matkin
City Manager
City of Fort Scott
Brad Matkin
City Manager
City of Fort Scott
Fort Scott, Kansas 66701
620-223-0550 ext. 210
New Agriculture Drone Business: Seeding, Analysis, Counts, Prescription, and Identification Services
Christopher Catalano began his agricultural drone business, SEK Agra Drones, in the Spring of 2024.
“SEKAD came about being asked if my drone can perform stand counts and can I pilot a DJI T40 spraying drone by a local Bourbon County grower,” he said. “This question sent me down a rabbit hole realizing with all the new drone agricultural technology, there are specific application scenarios that can save growers time and resources.”
The services SEKAD provides are:
Aerial Seeding – SEKAD can spread seed and granular commodities via a DJI T40 Drone for both blanket and spot-specific applications.
Goal: Aerial spreading cover crop seeds over an existing crop at the end of the season has proven to be very beneficial for growers.
Crop Health Analysis – NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) & NDRE (Normalize Difference Red Edge) images are generated by SEK Agra Drone’s M3M Drone which uses the reflection of light in the near-infrared (NIR) and red bands of the electromagnetic spectrum to create a color-coded image of vegetation cover especially for crop nitrogen status. Vegetation indices identify areas of a field that are underperforming allowing immediate action applying pesticides, fertilizers, etc. with accurate informed decision making backed by data.
Goal: Measuring the amount of chlorophyll in plant leaves, NDVI/NDRE is often used to assess nitrogen stress independent of the amount of soil nitrogen penetrating the lower canopy of plants. Often used to create variable rate nutrient application maps pre and post-application.
Prescription (Treatment Maps) – Correlating with crop health analysis, data collected via drone of a crop is stitched together creating a detailed aerial GPS map. Prescription maps are delivered as a .shp (shape file), PDF to upload onto your equipment’s computers and tablets, laptops, etc. for accurate boots-on-the-ground analysis.
Stand Counts – Plant population count and emergence percentage across a field help make advanced decisions for replanting or additional inputs for augmented growth. Row crops for stand counts: Canola | Corn | Cotton | Soybean | Trees | Vegetables.
Goal: With the heavy Spring rains Bourbon County received this year, many fields already planted with corn were in V2-V5. Stand counts proved beneficial in determining re-capitalization of replanting washed-out portions of local grower’s fields.
Weed Identification – Identification of green on brown weeds and other unwanted growth in a field with GPS location map generation. Weed ID data can be used for spot spraying applicators with the option of providing treatment to hard-to-reach locations.
Goal: Treatment on hillsides, waterways, rough terrain, and smaller plots, resulting in chemical savings, and wear and tear on a ground rig.
He services Fort Scott | Radius encompassing Bourbon County-Kansas City Metro-Wichita-Joplin-Northwest Arkansas and everywhere in between.
His unofficial employee is his son high school senior, Gavin.
“He works for a local Bourbon County Farm and takes to the sticks flying agricultural drones with a second-natured expertise. Gavin brings youthful enthusiasm with an understanding of row crop health and ailments.”
“The agricultural drone industry is consistently evolving year over year bringing new innovations to ‘Smart Farming.’ SEKAD’s goal is to always provide added value to a grower or producer avoiding being a solution looking for a problem. The more connected we become with our local growers, the more vetting of innovative technologies can be applied utilizing a drone. We have a partnership with another business to utilize spraying of fungicides, herbicides, and pesticides via drone when requested.”
Evergy Electric Transmission Projects Public Meeting Is August 1 To Review Compliance: Can Be Viewed On YouTube
KCC to discuss future Evergy transmission
projects at virtual public workshop August 1
TOPEKA – The Kansas Corporation Commission (KCC) will hold a virtual meeting Thursday morning, August 1, beginning at 8 a.m. to discuss Evergy’s plans for future transmission projects. Members of the public are invited to watch the meeting, which will be livestreamed to the KCC’s YouTube Channel and recorded for later viewing.
Evergy representatives will present details of the planned projects, take questions, and hear comments from Commissioners, Commission Staff and the Citizens Utility Ratepayer Board (CURB).
The costs of transmission projects are passed on to ratepayers in the form of a transmission delivery charge (TDC), which appears on monthly electric bills. The workshop gives the public visibility to the transmission planning process, which is designed to provide the infrastructure necessary to ensure reliability while still maintaining affordability for ratepayers.
House Bill 2225 passed by the 2024 Kansas Legislature requires a public meeting to review the utility’s annual transmission compliance filings to the Commission.
Evergy’s compliance filings can be found on the Commission’s website using the following links: Docket Nos.: 24-EKME-253-CPL and 24-EKCE-254-CPL.