Ks Governor Proposes Amended Budget

Governor Kelly Fights to Address Rising Prices, Calls For $250 Tax Rebate, Providing Immediate Relief for Kansans

~~Governor Urges Legislature to Reconsider one-time $250 Tax Rebate through Budget Amendment to Provide Kansas Taxpayers with Immediate Relief~~

TOPEKA – Today, Governor Laura Kelly announced an additional $460 million through a Governor’s Budget Amendment (GBA) for a one-time $250 tax rebate to all Kansas residents who filed a 2020 tax return in 2021. Resident tax filers who filed as married and filing jointly will be eligible for a $500 direct payment.

“We’ve worked hard to get Kansas’ budget back on track after years of mismanagement,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Our strong economic growth would not be possible without the hard work of Kansas taxpayers, and I want to return this money to the people who earned it. Especially right now, when we are all experiencing the impact of rising costs at the pump and the grocery store, the state can make an immediate and direct impact to help Kansas families pay their bills and save for the future.”

Governor Kelly previously called for the one-time $250 tax rebate to all Kansas taxpayers in her budget proposal, but the full House and Senate rejected funding for this measure. However, similar bipartisan plans have been proposed in numerous other states, including most recently, the state of Missouri.

Under the Governor’s plan, Kansas will return approximately $460 million to over 1.2 million Kansas residents who paid taxes in 2021. Additionally, by using one-time revenue, this will have no impact on the state’s ongoing ability to collect revenues that fund critical services or eliminate the state’s food sales tax. The proposal will be paid for with Kansas’ current budget surplus and is intended to provide relief to tax filers who are Kansas residents.

Find the Governor’s Budget Amendments here.

###

4-H Shooting Sports Continue with New Instructors

Submitted photo. From left: Chad Guthrie, Zach Ross, and Katie Hueston.

Katie Hueston, Chad Guthrie and Zach Ross became certified in shooting sports at Rock Springs Ranch  in Junction City on  March 25-28.

Hueston with be the Southwind District 4-H Shooting Sports Coordinator.

” I will be helping with the logistics of the project, making sure instructors have what they need to be successful, proper paperwork is turned in, and help with planning and organizing of the project and events,” she said.

“You must be an active certified instructor to teach shooting sports in 4-H,” she said. “Chad Guthrie was certified in the shotgun discipline and Zach Ross was certified in bb, air rifle and .22 rifle”.

The sport shooting venues for practice will be at different places.

” This depends on the discipline, BB, air rifle can be done inside with the proper backdrop and targets,” she said. “An .22 rifle and shotgun will be outside at different ranges. Locations are to still be determined on how many kids from what counties sign up.”

The children from 8-years-old on up have until May 1 to sign up for the project.

To compete in a discipline, a bulletin will state what age group are allowed.

“We will be doing a starter/ safety class this summer for the bb, and air rifle,” she said. “And this fall (we will)be ready to go strong with the shotgun discipline, in hopes to have kids ready for competitions.”

“4-H has a strong background to ‘learn by doing’,” she said. “We are giving them the opportunity to learn their first shot fundamentals though competition level skills, all while providing a positive youth development environment.”

Short History of 4-H Shooting Sports

“The Shooting sports is not a new project; it has always been an option to the 4H youth,” she said. “There are many other disciplines such as archery, muzzle loading, western heritage and pistol that we will want to have instructors certified in to grow our youths options as well.”

The COVID-19 Pandemic halted many of the shooting programs.

“With COVID they could no longer meet in person so that specific project was unable to continue,” she said. “Since COVID halted many of the current programs we are starting by evaluating what equipment we have, while kids continue to join until May 1st,” she said.

“We will be looking for sponsors and donors to help with some new equipment and have some fun fundraising ideas planned once meetings begin, to update and upgrade what we do have,” Hueston said. “So far everyone has been super supportive and the previous instructors Joe Foulk and Gary Buntain have been fabulous in helping answer any question and willingness to help continue the project.”

 

KS Requesting Comments on Statewide Transportation Program

KDOT requesting comments on STIP amendment

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) requests comments on an amendment to the FFY 2022-2025 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) document.

The STIP is a project specific publication that lists all KDOT administered projects, regardless of funding source, and includes projects for counties and cities as well as projects on the State Highway System.  The list of projects being amended to the STIP can be viewed at http://www.ksdot.org/bureaus/burProgProjMgmt/stip/stip.asp.

The approval of the STIP amendment requires a public comment period, which concludes May 4. To make comments on the amendment, contact KDOT’s Division of Program and Project Management at (785) 296-3254.

This information is available in alternative accessible formats. To obtain an alternative format, contact the KDOT Division of Communications, (785) 296-3585 (Voice/Hearing Impaired-711).

Fundraiser For Local Animal Shelter April 23

Fundraiser Yard Sale
Fort Scott Paws and Claws
Saturday, April 23rd, 8am-1pm
820 S. National
Donations are still needed!
Our annual sale fundraiser is back! This is a major fundraiser for the shelter to help with spay and neuter cost and vetting expenses for the 150+ animals adopted out from Paws and Claws each year.
Private message them on Facebookor call 620.223.288 for drop off info or to arrange pick up of your donations.

Women’s Business Expo and Luncheon April 27

Purple picture with lemons in top left and bottom right corners and "women's luncheon" written in the middle

Fort Scott Community College is excited to bring back our annual Women’s Luncheon and Vendor Expo. This event will take place April 27th on Administrative Professionals Appreciation Day from 11am to 2pm in the Ellis Fine Arts Center.

 

Local vendors will be set up throughout the lobby and meeting rooms of Ellis ready for you to shop! We will also be serving a light lunch of two different wraps, salad, and mixed fresh fruit. We will also have tea, water, lemonade, and coffee.

 

Cost is only $7 per person for lunch. Reserve your ticket or vendor space by emailing Kassie Cate at [email protected] or call 620.223.2700 ext. 5248. Tickets will be available at the door as well.

 

We hope you can ‘squeeze’ some time in for us and enjoy this very springy event wink

Obituary of Harold Page

Harold Eugene Page, age 56, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away early Tuesday, April 19, 2022, at the Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas.

He was born July 15, 1965, in Ft. Scott, the son of James Russell Page and Edna Mae Taylor Page.

Harold primarily worked doing highway construction.  One could say he was a “jack of all trades.”  He could fix almost anything and used this ability to help anyone in need.  He enjoyed fishing, especially with his grandchildren.

 

Survivors include his three children, Brent Kober (Laura) of Olathe, Kansas, Shane Kober, Uniontown, Kansas and Taylor Hall (Greg) of Mound City, Kansas and twelve grandchildren, Greyson, Jade, Shaiden, Kamden, Faith, Jackson, Joseph, Landon, Halle, Brynlee, Lathan, and Presliegh.  Also surviving is his mother, Edna Sowder; three brothers, Russell, Jerry and Jimmie Page and three sisters, Margaret Metcalf, Linda Armstrong and Susan Dauben, all of Ft. Scott.

He was preceded in death by his daughter, Lacey Page, two sisters, Cindy Doherty and Connie Page, his father, James Russell Page and his step-father, Jerry Sowder.

 

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M. Saturday, April 23rd at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Following services, there will be cremation.

The family will receive friends on Saturday from 9:00 A.M. until service time at the chapel.

Memorials are suggested to the Harold Page Memorial Fund 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.

Obituary of Mary “Sug” Beckford

Mary Irene “Sug” Beckford, 90, formerly of Fulton, Kansas passed away Thursday morning, December 23, 2021, at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Lawrence, Kansas.  She was born February 13, 1931, in Devon, Kansas, the daughter of George Franklin and Mary Elizabeth (Townsend) Snyder. She married Charles L. Beckford on August 27, 1950, in Fulton, Kansas, and he preceded her in death on October 19, 2008.

 

Sug graduated from Fulton High School. She helped plan many alumni reunions. She worked for The Western Insurance as a supervisor in the Key Punch department for 21 and a half years. She retired when The Western closed in 1988.

 

She was a member of the West Liberty United Methodist Church, West Liberty UMW, and Olive Chapter 13 OES. She was Past Matron and Past District Aide OES, Past Worthy High Priestess Order of the White Shrine of Jerusalem, and was a Reach to Recovery volunteer for 15 years. She served as Sunday School Treasurer for 25 years, was Past UMW President, member and secretary for the Osaga Historical Society, and a member of the Fulton Community Center Board. Sug also served as Mother Advisor of Fort Scott Assembly 39 Rainbow Girls. Mary never missed an opportunity to serve in any capacity.

 

Sug’s favorite pastimes were reading, fishing, and gardening. She was a KU Basketball fan and loved angel food cake. She was known for her banana bread and homemade strawberry ice cream. Her grandkids thought she made the best vegetable soup and chili ever. She loved all of her family, but had a special relationship with her great-granddaughters Willow, Maddie, and Evie, and was looking forward to meeting her great-grandson, Donovan.

 

Survivors include her children, Randy L. Beckford and wife Carmen, of Fulton, and Vickie S. Lord and husband Gerald, of Lawrence, Kansas; a brother, Alva Snyder, of Independence, Kansas; sister-in-law Joyce Sipe, Fort Scott; seven grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, and numerous great-great-grandchildren.

In addition to her husband Charles, she was also preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, John E. Snyder, and George J. Snyder, two granddaughters, and one grandson.

 

Memorial services for Sug will take place 10:00 a.m. Saturday, April 23, 2022, at the West Liberty United Methodist Church, and she will be interred with her husband Charles in the Mapleton Cemetery under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be given to West Liberty United Methodist Church the day of the service or mailed to: West Liberty Treasurer c/o Kathy Valentine, 2638 Tomahawk Road Fort Scott, KS 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.

Coming Soon For Patty LaRoche: Book Publication

Patty and Dave LaRoche. Submitted.

Patty LaRoche is a former Fort Scott High School teacher and a regular contributor to FortScott.Biz and other media outlets.

For the past decade, she has been writing and re-writing a Christian book: A Little Faith Lift…Erasing the Lines of the Enemy.

The book is directed toward those who doubt their worth and encourages them to take risks and was initiated while working with teens as a school teacher.

The school of life has also prompted LaRoche to write.

Married to major league baseball pitcher Dave LaRoche in 1973, Patty spent most of her adult life in the world of professional baseball where wives are subject to much of the same public scrutiny and comparison as their husbands, she said.

“My 30+ moves in 48 years of marriage have given me van loads of humorous illustrations for this ‘Rejection-Collection,'” she said.

“Using humor and candor, no doubt from teaching high school for 20 years, I share not only my spiritual journey,” she said.  “One mapped by faithfulness—yet detoured by faithlessness, while also retelling many individual stories of those who have, and have not, refused to let their circumstances or others’ opinions have any power to destroy who they are in Christ.”

The humor in her book has a serious message and is written for all age groups, she noted.

“A Little Faith Lift is for everyone who doubts their worth, to help them move past the pain caused by others that has left them insecure or bitter, to teach them to accept the potential (that) humor has over rejection,” LaRoche noted. “My objective is to convince them to take risks and refuse to give anyone or anything the power to make them less than God desires, to know that He’s the C.E.O. of the ‘Beauty from Ashes’ business.”

“My intended audience is adult women, the majority of people I meet, who have memories of betrayal by teachers, coaches, family members, friends or bullies who used them as their personal punching bag,” LaRoche said. “They have a hard time understanding that hurt people hurt people, thanks to a spiritual enemy who passes out stogies any time he can manipulate their self-worth.”

“These individuals measure themselves against others who have the looks, talents, or personality traits they think they lack,” she said.  “Walking into a room full of strangers produces enough sweat to frizz their hair, and if asked to spearhead the church social, they hyperventilate.”

“I taught public speaking to high schoolers for 20 years, but when a group of senior girls asked if I would lead them in a Bible study, the message became clear:  if my students could recognize from Whom their value came—challenging in a public-school setting—and not from what others thought of them, their lives forever would be changed.  An organizing principle of A Little Faith Lift focuses on the teens in that study,” she stated.

“Nearly one in three teens meet criteria for an anxiety disorder by age 18, and 70% of them describe anxiety as a major problem for people their age, a number exacerbated by Covid,” LaRoche said.   “My counselor friends tell me that, because of the pandemic, they are overwhelmed by young adults who feel hopeless. But it’s not only our youth who are affected. Too many people go to the grave never feeling like they were valued or used the talents God gave them, all because they never bought into the truth of how precious they are to their Creator.”

When will the book be ready?

“Probably when my social media numbers impress a publisher,” she said.  “Right now, I have a very respected agent who will be pitching it to different Christian publishers.”

To support LaRoche in this new venture of book publication go to her Instagram posts patty_laroche, which is called PATTY’s PITCH

PATTY’s PITCH will appear on Instagram on Mondays and Fridays.

 

Chamber Coffee at Bo Co Conservation District on April 21

Join us for this week’s Chamber Coffee
Hosted by Bourbon County Conservation District
Thursday, April 21st, 8am
1515 S. Judson St.
Established in May, 1945, the Bourbon County Conservation District’s mission is to provide leadership and guidance for the use of our natural resources through working with land users, cooperating agencies and the general public by providing educational, technical and financial assistance. District Manager Mandy Shoemaker and the Conservation District Board of Directors are excited to host the Chamber Coffee and welcome everyone to attend.
Visit Bourbon County Conservation’s website HERE!
Like Bourbon County Conservation’s ‘s Facebook page HERE!

Obituary of Ivan “Pokey” Harding Jr.

Ivan LeRoy “Pokey” Harding, Jr., age 77, resident of Ft. Scott, KS, died Monday, April 18, 2022, at his home.  He was born May 7, 1944, in Parsons, KS, the son of Ivan LeRoy and Orlean Sampsel Harding.

Pokey attended Walnut public schools and graduated from Joint Rural High School Stark, KS with the class of 1962.  He graduated from Pittsburg State University Auto Technology School.

Pokey served in the U. S. Navy and later the Reserves.

He married Shirley Simon on April 2, 1976.

Pokey worked for Quality Chevrolet in Wichita briefly before moving to Ft. Scott.  He then worked for Ft. Scott Motors, Shepherd Team Auto Plaza and finally 5-Corners Automotive.

He enjoyed gardening, hunting, fishing, and spending time with his grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.  He was a member of the First Baptist Church, Blue Lodge, American Legion, and Mercy Hospital Auxiliary.

 

Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Shirley of the home; a son, John Ivan Harding and wife Helen, Topeka, KS; a daughter, Jeri Keller and husband Jeff, Wichita, KS; two stepsons, Randy Houdashelt, Ft. Scott, and Jimmy Houdashelt, Parsons, KS; a sister, Carolyn Sinn, Ft. Scott; an uncle, Joe Harding and wife Phyllis, Stark, KS; two grandchildren, Ashley and Austin; two step grandchildren, Derek and Dillon; two step great-grandchildren, Aiden and Macie;  and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

 

Rev. Chuck Russell will conduct memorial services at 11:30 AM Monday, April 25th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

The family will receive friends Monday from 10:30 AM until service time at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Memorials are suggested to Care to Share and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Ft. Scott, KS 66701.  Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.

 

Bourbon County Local News