Fort Scott Aglow Lighthouse welcomes Benton Cavaness who will share his story. After a 20 year drug addiction, Benton is free! “God miraculously gave me complete victory over addiction and I have experienced more miracles and blessings in the last year than most people ever get to witness!”
Benton is from Thayer, KS. His interests now are God, church, family, farming, cattle, horses and staying free!
Guests welcome Thursday, April 7th at 6:30 pm.
We will gather in the conference room of Fort Scott Inn, 101 State Street.
Aglow International is an interdenominational ministry for women and men. The goal is: Every Nation touched, every heart changed.
Submitted photo, 2020. From top left to right:Theodore, Lawrence, Vivian, Adelaide, Marshall, Johnathan, Lorina, and Harriet Bowman
The Bowman family purchased the building at 102 S. National Avenue in March 2020.
They have been slowly building it into The Museum of Creativity, which is a children’s play place, a gift shop, a snack bar, a party rental space and a place to display many exhibits.
They provide a family safe environment to have fun, learn new skills, discover talents and develop hobbies for all ages, according to Lorina Bowman.
“It is the perfect mix of interactive and display exhibits for all generations to enjoy,” according to Bowman. “We hope to grow our support and continue to provide workshops, clubs and events to enrich our community.”
They have a fund raiser planned for next month to provide funds to make the building handicapped accessible.
The museum has updated spring hours of
Friday 9 a.m. – 10 p.m. and Saturday from 10 .am. to 4 p.m.
The following are some upcoming events offered:
The LEGO CLUB is every Thursday and costs $2/person.
13+ years of age meets from 4 pm-6 pm
7-12 years of age meets from 4:30-5:30 p.m.
The LADIES CRAFT NIGHT is also every Thursday from 6-8 p.m
On the 1st Thursday of the month, bring your own project to show off, work on or get help with, the cost is $2 per person.
On the 2nd Thursday of the month, there is a card making workshop, the cost is $5 per person.
On the 3rd Thursday of the month is needle craft night (knitting, crocheting, embroidery, etc) – $2/person
4th Thursday, there will be special workshops – $5/person
More information is on their Facebook page. (Click the “Events” tab and make sure to click “see more” to view them all.) Or message them on Facebook with any questions.
The museum is having Easter activities for children.
On April 9, the Easter activity from 10 am – 4 pm, with a cost of $3/person. There will be crafts, games and “fun”, she said.
Register for one of their Easter egg hunts held at 11 am – 1 pm – 3 pm for $5/dozen filled eggs.
On May 6-7, the museum will have an indoor yard sale/bake sale during the regular hours.
The museum is accepting donations of gently used items to add to the sale. Contact Angela Handly at 785-204-2881 or Lorina Bowman at209-204-9743 to arrange drop off or pick up.
“ALL proceeds from the yard sale and quilt auction will go toward getting our building handicapped accessible,” she said. “After a little research on pricing of the ramp and chair lift and the construction changes needed to install both, we have a goal of raising $15,000.”
“Any donation helps,” Bowman said. “Whether it is money, time, used items for the yard sale, or items for the auction, we appreciate your support so much! We want to continue improving our guest’s experience at the museum.”
On May 7, there will be a quilt auction at 1 p.m.
Quilts will be on display and open for silent bids during the museum’s open hours Friday and Saturday.
The silent auction will end at 2:30 p.m. when the live auction begins. “We will be on Facebook Live too, so you can bid that way as well,” Lorina said.
“We are accepting donations of prizes, finished quilts or finished quilt tops until April 30th but the sooner the better so we can post them to draw more attention to the event,” she said.
to the Gordon Parks: “Homeward to the Prairie I Come” & Doug Barrett: Find Your Voice Exhibition
Join us for a one-day shuttle trip to the Parks exhibition, in the Marion Pelton Gallery at the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art featuring photographs donated by Parks to Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, in 1973. Also view the ”Doug Barrett: Find Your Voice,” Exhibition.
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces a Golden Egg shopping event which will take place on Saturday, April 16th. 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 Angie Dawn’s Boutique, Bids & Dibs, Hedgehog. Ink! Bookstore, Iron Star, Laree + Co., Main Street Gallery and Gifts, Mayco Ace, Museum of Creativity, Sunshine Boutique, Treasure Hunt Flea Market, Varia Quality Resale Clothing, Sekan’s Occasion Shop, and Shirt Shack!
The Chamber encourages the community to join the hunt on Saturday, April 16th. Get ‘egg-cited’ to shop local!
Contact the Chamber for more information at 620-223-3566.
Richard Joseph Chermok, age 55, resident of Garland, KS, died Monday, April 4, 2022, at Via Christi Emergency Room, Ft. Scott, KS. He was born April 6, 1966, in Lawrence, KS, the son of Louis Joseph Chermok, Jr. and Darlene Agnus Vochal Chermok.
Richard graduated from Ft. Scott High School with the class of 1984 and Ft. Scott Junior College in 1986. He worked for Craft Fabricators for many years before operating heavy equipment in Virginia. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, and vegetable gardening.
Survivors include his mother Darlene, Arma, KS, two brothers Michael and wife Kristin, Parker, KS, and Daniel and wife Dalene, Fruita, CO; a sister, Teresa Chermok, Ft. Scott; two nephews, Nathan, and Jacob and wife Megan; two nieces, Jessica and Kalene; and one great nephew and one great niece.
He was preceded in death by his father Louis; a brother Pat; and his grandparents.
Father Yancey Burgess will conduct private family services on Friday, April 8th, at Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church.
Burial will follow in St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery.
Memorials are suggested to the Richard Chermok Memorial Fund 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.
Ellis Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College, 2401 S. Horton.
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office is hosting a seminar on human trafficking at 6 p.m. on April 19 at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton. The event is open to the public.
“Does human trafficking only occur in larger cities or small rural areas?
What demographics make up a human trafficking?
“These questions will be answered by attending the seminar,” Bourbon County Sheriff Bill Martin said in an interview.
Bourbon County Sheriff Bill Martin. Submitted photo.
The presentation will by the chairwoman of the Kansas Human Trafficking Advisory Board, Jennifer Montgomery. The board advises the Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s office on the issues of human trafficking.
The following is from the attorney generals website:
“Human trafficking is the criminal activity of holding another person for the purposes of exploitation through forced labor and sex trafficking. Many experts view human trafficking as the second greatest criminal enterprise in the world, second only to the illegal sale of drugs. Even here in Kansas, men, women, and children are forced to work for long hours under deplorable conditions for little or no pay without the freedom to leave.
By utilizing a four pronged approach of Prevention, Protection, Prosecution and Partnership, the Kansas Human Trafficking Advisory Board is exploring:
Development of a public awareness campaign focusing on the hidden issue of human trafficking;
Identification of victims of trafficking;
Provision of comprehensive and culturally competent services to victims of human trafficking;
Appropriately addressing the needs of domestic victims of human trafficking;
Securing adequate resources and support needed to develop a task force to effectively investigate cases of human trafficking;
Development of a statewide structure for collaborative efforts across disciplines and jurisdictions to ensure prosecution of human traffickers.”
It was an intense week in the Kansas Legislature, ending on April Fool’s Day. It turned out the joke was on legislators who had worked diligently just to be shut down. Friday around 1:30 am, the House Majority Leader made a motion to adjourn until April 25th at 11 am. – leaving several items to be addressed in Veto Session, including removing state sales tax on food, K-12 funding, and other issues. The Senate President worked diligently to complete our work in regular session and not leave it to do in Veto Session. I applaud his efforts and did what I could to support taxpayers in producing some great tax relief for Kansans.
Tax bills that passed either chamber could be worked in the Tax Conference Committee. It was difficult this year because the House did not debate one tax bill on the House floor. Conference committees are about negotiating to find common ground with the other chamber on bills that have passed both chambers in different forms. It’s difficult to negotiate when the House hasn’t voted on these items. However, the House was willing to accept a majority of Senate positions and we negotiated some tax relief policy for Kansans.
There were three tax Conference Committee Reports (CCRs) negotiated. The first, CCR 2239, had several provisions: a property tax freeze via an income tax rebate for low-income seniors and disabled veterans; up to $250 tax credit for teachers who purchased school supplies with their own money; over $40 million in property tax relief – presently there is a $20,000 exemption on the valuation of the 20 mil of property taxes for K-12, this legislation would increase the exemption to $40,000 and increase it each year based on inflation – it hasn’t been increased since 1997; removing state sales tax on delivery and postage costs; exempting sales tax on fencing materials for agriculture; allowing county commissioners an option to abate property taxes on property destroyed by a natural disaster; creating a tax credit program for donors to technical and community colleges, capped at $5 million a year; making the sales tax exemption on vehicle manufacturer rebates permanent; and many other tax provisions. The House would not accept all of this good tax policy unless a provision to create a taxing authority in Shawnee County for the Zoo, Gage Park, and Discovery Center was included. The Senate accepted the offer since it would be voted on by the people of Shawnee County. We didn’t want to lose all of the good Senate tax positions and good tax policy for Kansans. It passed the Senate unanimously and the House 103 to 10. Hopefully, the Governor will not veto the CCR. If she does, it appears we have the votes to override a veto.
The other two tax CCRs, 2106 and 2597, are still in play and will hopefully be passed in Veto Session. CCR 2106 would remove state sales tax on groceries within three years. Starting January 1, it would decrease from 6.5% to 4%, in 2024 it would drop to 2%, and in 2025 it would go to 0%. Groceries means that prepared foods would not be included. Beginning January 1st would provide time for vendors to implement the sales tax reduction. You may think it is simple to implement, but an example is rotisserie chicken at the grocery store is cooked and ready to eat, so you would think it is prepared food and not exempt. However, according to the Department of Revenue, it would be exempt unless utensils to eat the chicken were provided. It would have been simpler to remove state sales tax from all edible items, but a majority of legislators would not support that effort. Another tax bill negotiated but delayed until veto session was CCR 2597. It had several tax cuts to help Kansans. There are too many to name but a few items included are: gradually removing all state income tax on Social Security and decreasing it on other retirement accounts, increasing standard deductions, and removing state sales tax on commercial electric and other utilities, matching the residential exemption.
As chairman of the Senate Tax Committee, I was able to develop and work with others to pass tax cuts – including property tax relief for homeowners. There is still work to do in lowering income taxes and removing sales tax on food.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
NOTICE OF AND AGENDA FOR
MEETING OF
FORT SCOTT CITY COMMISSION
CITY HALL
CITY COMMISSION MEETING ROOM
123 SOUTH MAIN STREET
APRIL 5, 2022
6:00 P.M.
Call to Order
Roll Call:
Jones T. Van Hoecke S. Walker M. Wells K. Allen
Flag Salute:
Invocation: Led by: Pastor Brian Rhoades, Grace Baptist Tabernacle
Consent Agenda:
Approval of minutes of the regular meeting of March 15th, 2022, special meetings of March 16th, 2022, and March 28th, 2022.
Approval of Appropriation Ordinance 1309-A totaling $539,731.85.
Request to Pay – Agricultural Engineering Associates – $8,092.91 – Lake Lot Surveys
Request to Pay – K & G Striping, Inc. – $4,249.92
Request to Pay – Nuss & Farmer, P.A. – February Invoice – $1,470.00
Request to Pay #1 – Mid-Continental Restoration Co., Inc. (Hammon’s) – Urgent Need Grant – $57,329.08
Request to Pay #1 – Mid-Continental Restoration Co., Inc. (Sharky’s) – Urgent Need Grant – $32,967.12
Request to Pay #2 – Mid-Continental Restoration Co., Inc. (Hammon’s) – Urgent Need Grant – $91,651.71
Request to Pay #2 – Mid-Continental Restoration Co., Inc. (Sharky’s) – Urgent Need Grant – $72,143.77
Request to Pay – Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission – Administration Services – Urgent Need Grant – $5,000.00
Public Comment:
(Sign up required. Comments on any topic not on agenda and limited to five (5) minutes per person, at Commission discretion)
Old Business: None
Appearances:
Shaun O’Brien – Requests for closure of streets for Good Ol’ Days event:
Old Fort Blvd. from Wall Street to National Avenue
Main Street from Skubitz Plaza to Third Street – Close Friday at 1 p.m.
Wall Street from National to Scott
First Street from National to Scott Street
Second Street from National to Scott Street
Use of Memorial Hall:
Baby Contest on Saturday morning
Blane Howard Concert – Saturday night (Possible Friday night concert also)
Heritage Park at corner of First and Main
Parking lot behind Heritage Park
Parking lot at corner of Third and Main
Parking lot at Second and Scott
Parking lot at Wall and Scott
Parking lot at Wall and alley between Main and Scott
Parking lot between Memorial Hall and the Library
Parking lot between National and Block House (Carnival will begin setting up here on Tuesday, June 2nd)
Parking lot between Old Fort Blvd. and H & H Realty Agency (Carnival will begin setting up here on Friday morning)
Old Fort Blvd – South side from National to alley (Carnival will begin setting up here on Friday morning)
Skubitz Plaza – (No special set up for event this year, but need Old Fort Blvd closed when tents go up Wednesday on east bound from Main. All closed Thursday and Friday.
The Street Advisory Board will meet on Thursday, April 14, at 4:00 p.m. at the City Commission Meeting Room at 123 S. Main Street. This meeting is open to the public.
This meeting will be made available via the City’s you tube channel at City of Fort Scott.
