The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports March 11
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports March 9
Increase Healthier Food Options
Time is running out to take the HBCAT Food Pantry Survey!!! Please take two minutes and fill out the short survey RIGHT NOW!!! This will inform our work with food pantries!! Please share!!
Do you donate to a food pantry? Do you want more information? Guide our work to increase access to healthier options!! It only less than two minutes!! The #HBCAT and #BCBSKSPathways Healthy Choices at Bourbon County Food Pantries survey is open today!! PLUS Enter for a chance to win a Fitbit!! https://forms.gle/QR7SdJG4UmF4dEuq6
Submitted by
Jody Hoener
The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Inc.
President and CEO
Ascension Via Christi Clinic in Fort Scott expands services to include echocardiograms, ultrasound
Ascension Via Christi Clinic in Fort Scott is now offering ultrasound and echocardiogram services, making it possible for patients to receive these services in the best possible place: Close to home and family.
“We continue to invest in and grow our outpatient services in both Fort Scott and Pittsburg,” says Drew Talbott,
president of Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, under whose umbrella the Fort Scott ER and associated clinic
and diagnostic services operate. “Physicians and specialists in both geographic markets will have access to the
diagnostic imaging they need to provide seamless, well-coordinated care, which is particularly important for heart care
patients and expectant mothers.”
The newly added imaging services, which require a physician referral, are being provided every Thursday at Ascension
Via Christi’s Fort Scott clinic.
Josh Seaver, who lives in Fort Scott and has served as an sonography technologist at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in
Pittsburg for 2.5 years, says he is excited to play a role in making these services more readily accessible to his
neighbors.
“As someone who commutes to work daily, I am happy to eliminate patients’ need to drive to either Pittsburg or Joplin
whenever possible,” says Seaver. “Having the services available is a benefit to them and to me as it is one less day on
the road.”
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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.
Gugnani Earns a Perfect ACT Score
A Fort Scott High School senior has scored a perfect score of 36 on the American College Test. The test is a standardized one used for college admissions in the United States.
Shekhar Gugnani, 18, took the ACT in February of 2021.
“Shekhar is the first student in Fort Scott High School history to achieve a perfect score of 36 on the ACT,” Fort Scott High SchoolJr. and Sr. Counselor Josh Messer said. “He has also taken one of the most rigorous course loads possible while in high school. He has taken numerous classes through Fort Scott Community College during his high school career.”
“Shekhar is also a National Merit Scholarship Finalist, Messer said. “This distinction is based on his scores on the PSAT test he took as a Junior. To be a finalist, he is in the top 7,500 of students to take the test in the nation. He will find out if he is a National Merit Scholarship recipient later this month.”
He is the son of Sonia and Dr. P.K. Gugnani.
The following is from a fortscott.biz interview with Gugnani:
What did you do to prepare for the ACT?
“It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I started taking a lot of practice tests, focusing more on evaluating my weaknesses and trying to increase my score. After taking a practice test, I would sit down, look at what I missed, and then try to learn the concepts so I wouldn’t miss a similar question. It took a lot of rigorous training and holding myself accountable for every mistake, but in the end, it was all worth it.”
Did you take it more than once?
“Yeah. The first time I took it in high school was as a junior in October 2020, and I scored a 34. I retook the test in February of the following year (2021) because the test was free for all juniors. That was the test that I scored a perfect 36 on.”
What are your future plans?
“I’m still weighing my options on what college I plan to attend, but I know that I want to pursue a career as a doctor. I hope to one day gain admission into medical school, complete residency, and settle down to practice medicine.”
Are there people who have helped you attain this honor?
“Absolutely. I would say my primary influences were definitely my parents since they always pushed me to be the best version of myself. They motivated me to take practice tests, and sometimes they even helped me find my errors or come up with strategies to pace myself on the test (since it is timed). My teachers were also really influential, specifically my previous AP Calculus teacher, Jeff Armstrong. He was always willing to lend a hand wherever he could, and a lot of his trigonometry lessons helped greatly on the exam. I’d also like to thank my brothers, Neil and Raj, as well as my close friends, for always providing moral support throughout all of my endeavors.”
When will you find out about the National Merit Scholarship?
“I was already named one of 15,000 finalists in the program in February; starting this month, the National Merit Scholarship Corporation will designate about half of those people as scholarship winners, receiving $2,500 each. Being a finalist, some colleges will offer their own scholarships just for attaining this status.”
What will that mean to you?
“Regardless of the scholarship, being a finalist is a huge honor to me. It not only solidifies my name in this exemplary academic program, but it gives me a sense of accomplishment, knowing that my hard work has paid off. I came from a small but mighty town, and together with those around me, I was able to rise up and achieve national recognition.”
The Fort Scott Police Department Daily Reports March 9
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports March 10
Obituary of Clifton Sexton
Clifton Dale Sexton, age 79, of Uniontown, Kansas passed peacefully into the arms of his Savior on Friday, March 4, 2022, with family in attendance, at Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg, Kansas after a brief illness.
He was born June 28, 1942 in Wild Cherry, Arkansas. The youngest of three boys, they grew up in the White River country of Arkansas farming the land. As times grew hard in the region they moved to Overland Park, Kansas where Cliff finished his high school education.
As Cliff grew up, he married and had four children. He worked with his father and brother in concrete construction and service station work during his younger years. Then a yearning for his roots took hold and his profession took him to a variety of places working as a ranch hand and honing his skills as a professional trap shooter. He is a two-time All American Trap shooter and is enshrined in the Kansas Trap shooter Hall of Fame in Wichita.
Cliff is also a member of the Professional Cowboy Association and a private pilot. Cliff was very involved in civil war reenactments and was a movie set wrangler where he and his horse “Rebel” were extras in several movies, documentaries, and films. Later he worked at the American Royal.
In his later years he wrote poetry and songs based on his experiences. Cliff traveled to a variety of venues to perform his cowboy songs and poems. He has published three volumes of poems and contributed to several publications. Most recently he took his poetry to some of the local nursing homes in SE Kansas and SW Missouri. He loved talking to these folks and taking them back to happier times through his poetry.
Cliff was a Christian gentleman and a faithful member of Dry Ridge Baptist Church in Uniontown, Kansas.
Cliff is survived by a close and loving family.
He is preceded in death by his parents, William Vernon, his mother Zela Elmeta (Faught) Sexton, his brother Vergle Ernestene (Ernest) Sexton.
He is survived by his brother Vernon Eugene (Gene) Sexton of Lenexa, Kansas. Cliff is survived by four children, Donna Sue Sexton of Kansas City, Missouri; Terry Dale Sexton of Peculiar, Missouri; Tami Ann (Sexton) Stewart of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and Cassie Leigh (Sexton) Todd of Mountain Grove, Missouri. He has four grandchildren and four great- grandchildren. Also, a loving family of cousins, a niece, nephews, and their families.
Cliff was loved and will be missed by all.
Memorial Services will be held 11:00 A.M., Saturday, March 19, 2022, at the Cheney Witt Chapel.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Dry Ridge Baptist Church of Uniontown, Kansas, and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, PO Box 347, 201 S. Main St., Fort Scott, Kansas 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detected in Wild Birds in Kansas
MANHATTAN, Kansas — The Kansas Department of Agriculture, in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, has confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild waterfowl in central Kansas. This is the state’s first confirmed case of HPAI since 2015.
“Confirmed HPAI in wild birds in central Kansas is an indication that Kansas birds are at risk of exposure from the wild migratory bird population,” said Animal Health Commissioner Justin Smith. “We’ve encouraged Kansas poultry owners to be aware of this possibility, but now the reality is all poultry owners need to be vigilant in taking steps to protect their flocks from avian influenza. If you haven’t implemented biosecurity practices yet, the time to do it is now.”
Biosecurity refers to practices that prevent possible contamination. For poultry, biosecurity practices include:
- Prevent contact with wild birds, especially wild waterfowl. Remove any potential nesting areas for wild birds.
- Cover and enclose outdoor feeding areas, and cover stored feed.
- Take all possible steps to separate wild birds from having any access to your flock or their living area.
- Clean and disinfect any vehicle tires or equipment that has been on other farms or other locations where there is poultry or wild birds.
- Wear clean clothing, boots and shoes when in contact with your flock.
- Restrict unauthorized people and vehicles.
- Isolate new birds.
Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a highly contagious viral disease that can infect chickens, turkeys, and other birds and can cause severe illness and/or sudden death. HPAI has been identified in backyard flocks as well as commercial operations in neighboring states; at this time, it has not been detected in domestic birds in Kansas.
Attentively monitor your birds for symptoms of HPAI which include: coughing, sneezing, nasal discharge, and other signs of respiratory distress; lack of energy and appetite; decreased water consumption; decreased egg production and/or soft-shelled, misshapen eggs; incoordination; and diarrhea. Avian influenza can also cause sudden death in birds even if they aren’t showing other symptoms.
If these symptoms are observed in your birds, immediately contact your veterinarian. If you don’t have a regular veterinarian, contact KDA’s Division of Animal Health office toll-free at 833-765-2006.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the recent HPAI detections do not present an immediate public health concern. No human cases of these avian influenza viruses have been detected in the United States. Avian influenza does not present a food safety risk. Poultry and eggs are safe to eat when handled and cooked properly.
As part of existing avian influenza response plans, federal and state partners are working jointly on additional surveillance and testing in areas around the affected flock. The United States has the strongest avian influenza surveillance program in the world, and USDA is working with its partners to actively look for the disease in commercial poultry operations, live bird markets and in migratory wild bird populations.
For more information about HPAI, including current status of the confirmed cases in other states as well as more information about biosecurity for your flock, go to the KDA’s avian influenza webpage at agriculture.ks.gov/AvianInfluenza or call KDA at 833-765-2006.
FSCC Trustees Work Session March 21
The Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees will meet for a work/planning session at 4 p.m. on March 21. This is the day of the regular monthly meeting, so the work/planning session will take place prior to the meeting. The session is open to the public, but no official business will be conducted during this time.
Submitted by Juley McDaniel
Director of Human Resources
Fort Scott Community College
Obituary of Harry “Sonny” Peterson
Harry Willis “Sonny” Peterson, age 89, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Tuesday, March 8, 2022, at his home. His life-journey toward this moment of entering heaven began on October 3, 1932, in Hiattville, Kansas, to parents, Willis and Verna Likely Peterson. As the oldest surviving child, Harry was soon joined by four brothers and three sisters. In many ways, this “Sonny Boy” guided and guarded each of them as he progressed through school at Hiattville and Mount Hope.
Even as a young man, Sonny knew the path to happiness, especially when he found and captured the love of his life, Edith Hopkins. Marrying her on February 13, 1954, gave these sweethearts many opportunities to guide, and raise other children through the years even though they remained childless. Cousins, nieces, nephews, siblings, 4-H kids, Rainbow girls and numerous others became their projects and indeed, their children.
Sonny was not only known for taking care of others; he was known for taking care of business by “fixing” anything – trucks, tractors, electricity, plumbing or carpentry projects. “Uncle Sonny” could change your tire, feed your cattle or cut wood for your heating system. He always gave the best he had with no expectation of reward or payment. This work ethic was seen in his jobs: twenty-one years for Ford Tractor and New Holland followed by twenty years for the Fort Scott U-234 School District. His education afterschool focused on the needs for his occupations specializing in tractors, combines and welding. Fixing problems paved his way to a life filled with good works.
Some of those good works included participation with the Grange, 4-H, Rainbow Girls, and Iza Stompers Square Dance Club.
Church became a priority in his life; as a member of the Ft. Scott First Baptist Church where he served as deacon, trustee, and moderator. Sonny’s love of people and of “fixing” problems led to being a member and past Master of Xenia Lodge, past District Deputy Grand Master for District #8, member of Royal Arch, Iola, past Grand Officer of AF & AM for Kansas, member and past Patron of Olive Chapter #13, OES, and Grand Chaplin for Grand Chapter in Kansas. His life was spent “fixing” lives of others and sacrificing for others.
Harry “Sonny” is survived by his wife, Edith, of the home; three sisters, Mary Loy Schaffer, Marge Madison and Sissy Mall and two brothers, Frank and Von and numerous relatives and friends.
He was preceded in death by his parents, an infant sister and two brothers, Pat and Bill.
Rev. Ken Ansell will conduct funeral services at 10:30 A.M. Monday, March 14th at the First Baptist Church. Burial will follow in the Centerville Cemetery.
The family will receive friends from 4 to 6 P.M. Sunday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Masonic rites will take place at the close of visitation. Memorials are suggested to the First Baptist Church and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel,