USD 234 Special Board Meeting
May 16 – 5:30 p.m. at the Board of Education Office
1. Open the meeting
2. Flag Salute
3. Executive session – to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel
4. Consider employment
5. Adjourn
Fort Scott Public Library May Newsletter
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Next for Kansas Road Trip: North Central Kansas 2023
NORTH CENTRAL KANSAS TO BE NEXT BKRT HOSTS
On the last day of the 2022 Big Kansas Road Trip in Bourbon, Cherokee and Crawford counties, Marci Penner of the Kansas Sampler Foundation announced that the 2023 Big Kansas Road Trip (BKRT) will take place in Jewell, Republic, and Smith counties in North Central Kansas on May 4-7.
The BKRT is a multi-day event that feels like a tri-county open house of communities and their attractions and locally-owned shops and restaurants, and it’s a time to travel back roads and take in short activities that help locals tell their story. Penner said, “All we ask is that communities be good at being themselves. The public wants to have first-hand experiences in our rural communities and countryside to get to know them.”
A menu of things to see and do is presented in a variety of ways from a printed piece to a web site, with updates and encouragement on social media. Each person, family or group attending can choose where they want to go and make their own schedule. It’s adventure ala carte at your own pace.
Penner said, “It’s impossible to know how many attend the BKRT each year because everyone is spread out over three counties. No one gets overloaded but everyone gets more traffic than usual.”
Visitors to the 2022 event in southeast Kansas came from every region of Kansas and sign-in sheets showed that there were many people from out-of-state as well.
Fort Scott (Bourbon County) Public Relations and Tourism Director, Jackson Tough said “the Big Kansas Road Trip was excellent. We heard from many local businesses and area visitor attractions that said they saw increased traffic. Some said they had visitors from neighboring states like Missouri, Arkansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and even Colorado. Others came a greater distance like Minnesota, Iowa, and Nevada, among other states. Of course, we also hosted a large number of in-state visitors too. The event was great exposure for Bourbon, Cherokee and Crawford Counties. After visiting with Big Kansas Road Trip organizer Marci Penner, I also believe we will see residual effects for years to come!”
County seats in the 2023 showcase are Mankato (Jewell County), Belleville (Republic County) and Smith Center (Smith County). A few highlights are the Home on the Range cabin (near Athol) and the geographic center of the 48 contiguous states (Lebanon) in Smith County; a WPA-built courthouse (Mankato) and Lovewell Lake and State Park in Jewell County; and the Pawnee Indian Village state historic site (near Republic) and the National Midget Auto Racing Museum (Belleville) in Republic County.
“Belleville is the biggest city in the three counties with a population of 1,900,” said Penner. The 2023 road trip will have a different feel than this year which is what makes it exciting. These counties will provide visitors many intriguing ways to get to know them.”
The mission of the Kansas Sampler Foundation is to preserve and sustain rural culture. For more information on the BKRT, go to www.bigkansasroadtrip.com.
Submitted by Jackson Tough, Fort Scott Public Relations and Tourism Director.
U234 Press Release May 12
NEWS RELEASE
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Members of the USD 234 Board of Education met at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, 2022, for a special board meeting.
President James Wood opened the meeting.
The board went into executive session to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel. The board returned to open meeting and adjourned.
New Ladies Golf League Is Starting May 18
In 2021, Fort Scott newcomer Diane Striler brought up the topic of starting a ladies golf league with Lindsay Madison, the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Executive Director.
A few weeks ago the idea moved forward with local interest shown.
It was then that Fort Scott Parks Director Doug Guns approached Madison about starting a league, saying that recently several woman had inquired about a women’s league.
Woodland Hills Golf Course is owned by the City of Fort Scott.
“Lindsay introduced me to Doug and I started planning, ” Striler said.
She will be coordinating a new ladies golf league in Fort Scott.
“The League will be called the Par Tee Girls,” she said. “Our sign up will be May 18th at Woodland Hills Golf Course at 5:30 p.m.
That night we will pay our $40 league fee, take a picture for our website, get paired up with a partner (if you don’t already have someone to join with) and meet the other women of the league.”
The league will begin on May 25 and play each Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. through August 10.
“On the last night, we will have our banquet with a best ball scramble, a catered dinner and a lot of fun! ” Stiler said.
“My main goal for coordinating the league is to bring together women off all ages and skill levels to play a great game,” she said. “I have told many women over the years that if you would like to play golf, you need to set the time aside to play on a regular basis so you have a chance to improve your game. The league is very casual, and a great opportunity to learn. Our only opponents are really ourselves.”
There is an opportunity to join a competitive group for those interested in challenging themselves more, she added.
“The nice aspect of the league is that women of all skill levels can play together,” she said. “I only ask that you play ready golf to keep the pace going.”
Striler is coordinating some lessons for those women that are learning or who would like to brush up on their game.
To contact Striler, phone 248-568-7790
“Joining a women’s league is a great opportunity to meet a lot great women, develop your game and friendships, and have a lot of fun in the meantime,” she said. “I hope the women of Fort Scott and surrounding areas will join us!”
Striler coordinated a similar ladies league in the Kansas City area for 18 years, starting the league when her youngest daughter was 4 years old. She started it looking for an excuse to meet with friends on a regular basis.
Here are the Par Tee Girls Information and Rules, provided by Striler:
“*Everyone has a partner.
*We will play from the red tees.
*Please play ready golf – hit when you can if another golfer is not ready.
*Take only 6 strokes before green. If you are not on the green by the 6th shot,
(5th on par 3s) pick up your ball and move to the green so you can count your putts.
*We will have one game each night. The winner receives half the putt money. The rest
will go toward the banquet.
*Turn in one scorecard with all 4 players on it. (I do not record everyone’s weekly score,
so if you want to keep track, you can fill out an extra card to keep)
*When scoring, write down your total score for the hole, and then the number of putts you have for the hole.
Do the same for your total score
This way you can calculate what you need to add to the kitty.
*If you hit a ball out of bounds or into the water, drop a ball near where it went out, and take a one stroke penalty.
*Free lift – If your ball lands on a man-made pathway, sprinkler, etc., bring the ball out two club lengths back away from the hole.
*Keep up with the pace of play. You should be able to complete a hole in less than 15 minutes. That way the tee times don’t get backed up.
*Most of all, relax, play with new people and have fun !!!”
About Striler
Diane Colgan Striler is a realtor for Front Door Realty in Fort Scott.
She grew up in the Kansas City area and discovered Fort Scott around eight years ago when husband, Dean, and she were looking for a lake house. Friends had recently purchased a home at Lake Fort Scott and suggested that they come look.
The community has been very welcoming, she said, and the couple “fell in love with Fort Scott.”
Striler’s original plan was to fix up some houses and sell them because of a need for housing in the community. She enjoys working with hand tools, has a background in sales and a marketing degree.
She decided to get a real estate license.
After visiting with Jared Leek, owner of Front Door Realty, things fell into place.
“I started working as a realtor with Front Door Real Estate and we (she and Dean) purchased the Ren-nett Studio Building at 6 N. Main,” she said. She now has a Kansas and Missouri license.
She works to get unoccupied homes back on the market, she said.
“It ends up being a win win situation for everyone: back taxes get paid, the past owner is relieved of the burden and a new person finds a home,” she said.
Narcissistic by Patty LaRoche
I recently read that Alice Roosevelt had said of her dad, Theodore, “Father always had to be the center of attention. When he went to a wedding, he wanted to be the bride. When he went to a funeral, he was sorry he couldn’t be the corpse.”
Last week I wrote about our obsession with Selfies, only to later discover that the average person takes more than 450 selfies per year. I’m not one of those people. Why would I want to spend hours posing to perfect a snapshot no one would recognize? Too, do you know how hard it is to hold your phone at the exact angle above your head in order to disguise facial/neck imperfections while somehow managing to press the photo button?
Really, really hard.
There are few things as narcissistic as the Selfie. Defined as “love of self,” the term “narcissistic” comes from a Greek myth about a studly young hunter, Narcissus. On a walk one day, he saw his own image in a pool; not realizing it was a reflection, he fell in love with what he saw and stared at his likeness until he died. Now, we might read that and think it absurd, but research shows that more people die each year taking Selfies than from lightning strikes.
Apparently, some people are dying to be valued. (I know, not funny.)
The “It’s all about me” philosophy goes back to the Garden of Eden. (Then again, doesn’t everything?) The majority of us probably have encountered self-absorbed people. Conversations are focused on them and their needs/wants. They have no interest in asking questions about you because you have nothing to offer. They are louder, more boisterous, more demanding and certainly not humble. They depend on people noticing them and glorifying them.
Today, a friend shared a story that speaks to these kinds of people. An airline had to cancel a flight and asked all the passengers to go to the customer service counter to be rescheduled. Naturally, people weren’t too happy about this inconvenience, but one man was particularly irritated. Stepping ahead of all of the other customers, he announced that he “had” to get on the next flight. The agent told him to go to the end of the line and wait like every other passenger. His response? “Don’t you know who I am?”
Without missing a beat, the airline employee picked up her microphone, pressed a button and addressed everyone in her area. “There is a gentleman standing in the customer service line who doesn’t know who he is. Please take a close look at him. If you recognize him, please tell him who he is.” After shouting a stream of expletives, the man was told by the smiling agent, “And that, Sir, definitely sends you to the back of the line.”
Folks, you and I were made for glory…just not our glory. We were made to glorify God and him alone. Not His creation, no matter how spectacular it might be. Not in others who, as Scripture says, “all fall short of the glory of God.” And certainly not ourselves…no matter how awesome we think we are. Paul makes that clear in his letter to the Philippians (2:3-4): Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to their own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Selfies, take note.
Ann Ogle Promoted At Ascension Via Christi, Pittsburg
Nuclear Medicine tech now PACS administrator at
Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg
Ann Ogle, who began her career with Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg 18 years ago as a Nuclear Medicine tech, is the newly named administrator of its Picture Archiving and
Communication System, or PACS.
Ogle found her love for the medical field during high school. “When I was 17, I had a study done on my gallbladder and I just remember that technologist being so kind and caring to me, “ she
says. “At that time, I had never heard of Nuclear Medicine.
Afterward, I did my research and that’s what led me to this line of work!”
That line of work involves performing tests for diagnosis and medical research.
Ogle’s new additional role is to provide local support and guidance to the hospital team in using the image-archiving technology.
“Ann is dedicated to her career and puts patient care as a top priority,” says Travis Battagler, director of Heart Center and Imaging Operations. “She continues to look for ways to improve
patient satisfaction and at the same time accommodate the needs of our medical staff.”
Ogle says her new role came after taking a liking to the IT and imaging world of Radiology.
She enjoys the variety and challenges that come along with her job and says it helps to keep her sharp.
“Someone once told me, ‘Act like your patients are your family members. Each patient is someone’s dad, mom, grandpa, grandma…’ I know I would want my family members to be taken care of,” says Ogle. “So that is the way I try to approach every patient.”
If you are interested in growing your career with Ascension Via Christi in Pittsburg, browse opportunities at https://ascn.io/3wl1GJO.
###
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
The Fort Scott Police Department May 11-12
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports May 13
KS Sports Wagering Legalized
Governor Laura Kelly Legalizes Sports Wagering in Kansas
~~Kelly Signs Bill Allowing Kansans to Place Sports Bets on Mobile Apps, at Casinos, and Other Specific Venues~~
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today signed bipartisan legislation, Senate Bill 84, allowing Kansans to legally participate in sports wagering in the state. SB 84 also allows state casinos to use digital platforms and create sportsbooks.
“Legalizing sports betting will bring more revenue to our state and grow our economy,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “This is another mechanism that casinos, restaurants, and other entertainment venues can now utilize to attract Kansans to their establishments.”
“I was excited to pass sports wagering in Kansas, it’s something that Kansans are already doing, and it will bring additional tax revenue to our state to help with our needs,” Senator Rob Olson, Chair of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, said. “My constituents have pushed for this legislation for years, and now, the next time we have a significant sporting event in our state, Kansans will be able to bet on their hometown team.”
“We have heard from our constituents for years about the need for a sports wagering program here in Kansas, both for the value it will bring to their lives and for the revenues it will generate for our state,” Senator Oletha Faust-Goudeau, Ranking Member of the Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee, said. “I’m proud to have contributed to this package that will do just that and revitalize my community by creating jobs in Wichita.”
In addition, SB 84 allows venues such as restaurants and nonprofit fraternal or veterans organizations to hold sports wagering.
SB 84 preserves tribal sovereignty, allowing the negotiation of a new or existing gaming compact regarding sports wagering.
More information about SB 84 can be found here.
###
Healthy Bourbon County Action Team Newsletter for April
Jody Hoener
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Inc.
President and CEO
620-215-5725
104 North National
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Postai: CHC Expansion Impacts Fort Scott Positively
Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas is proceeding with what will ultimately be a $10 million investment in their newly renovated building in Fort Scott that they are fully funding, according to Krista Postai, CEO and President.
The renovation project is located at the former Price Chopper building at 2322 S. Main.
“We are on schedule to be in the new building in December as planned,” she said. “We did discover tunnels underneath the former grocery store that we weren’t expecting which came as quite the surprise, but are addressing the situation especially in those areas which will be supporting heavy equipment such as the CT Scanner and Mammography Unit.”
CHC currently is housed in a portion of the former Fort Scot Mercy Hospital on Woodland Hill Blvd. but their lease is up in December 2022.
Postai Provides Impact Studies
CHC/SEK and Fort Scott were featured in a national case study focusing on the transition of the Mercy Clinics to CHC/SEK, Postai said.
Postai attached the case findings plus the information compiled on the economic impact on the community, which were completed by Capital Link. Capital Link is a national, non-profit organization that has worked with community health centers and
primary care associations for over 25 years to plan for sustainability and growth, access capital, articulate value and improve and optimize operations and financial management, according to info in the study.
The current CHC project value to the community is shown to have both temporary impacts during construction and ongoing impacts from expanded operations including economic, employment and tax impacts.
To view the detailed study:
Capital Project Value Impact of Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas Fort Scott-1
The introduction to the case study:
“When Mercy Hospital Fort Scott (Mercy) closed its doors in Fort Scott, Kansas, after 132 years in operation, the rural community of 7,800 was left without a hospital. In the tumultuous aftermath of this closure, Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK or CHC), a Federally
Qualified Health Center based 30 miles away in Pittsburg, Kansas, stepped forward to take over two of the closed
hospital’s primary care clinics, providing a range of primary and preventive care services in Fort Scott, partially
filling the gap left by the hospital’s closure.
The circumstances leading up to the hospital’s closure and its impact on the community have been well-
documented by Sarah Jane Tribble in NPR’s nine-episode podcast, “Where it Hurts, Season 1: No Mercy.” This
case study focuses on CHC’s response to the closure and its efforts to restore access to primary care in Fort Scott,
while the community grieved the loss of its hospital.
Through interviews with CHC/SEK’s leadership, Capital Link explored CHC/SEK’s response to Mercy’s closure,
the subsequent impact on the community and the current state of the situation, in order to highlight lessons
learned for rural centers in similar situations.”
To view the entire case findings in detail:
Question on Property Taxes
Recently on social media there was a comment that CHC had neglected paying property tax on their building at 902 Horton Street that currently houses some of their staff and a Veteran’s Administration local office.
Postai responded with the following:
“CHC/SEK is a non-profit 501(c)3 and, like the Mercy Health System, Ascension and most other healthcare organizations is exempt from property taxes,” Postai said. “Fort Scott Community College is also exempt, as is the Veterans Administration who currently occupies the Horton Street Building along with CHC/SEK staff.”
“Appropriate paperwork has been filed and is working its way through the system and we were advised by the county to hold payments pending final determination, which is what we’ve done.”
“We had actually mailed a check to the county for the taxes, who returned it to us because they anticipate our tax-exempt status will also apply to this building and they’d just have to refund our payment,” she said.
“In the meantime, we’re proceeding with what will ultimately be a $10 million investment in our newly renovated building (on Main Street) in Ft. Scott that CHC/SEK is fully funding itself.
“Any money from the sale of the Horton Street Building will be utilized toward the redo of the former Price Chopper building (on Main Street) which will also include classrooms for use by Fort Scott Community College at no cost to them.
“A portion of the funds will also be used for scholarships at FSCC.
“We will be in the new facility by the end of December and are looking forward to expanding services, recruiting additional professionals and serving all regardless of ability to pay.
“I am always available to answer any questions and can be reached at 620-235-1867 or on my cell at 620-249-9936. My email is [email protected]. Krista Postai, CEO, CHC/SEK.