Due to winter weather conditions all Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas clinics, including Walk-In Care, will be closing at 5 p.m. on Wednesday Feb. 2, and delaying opening until 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb 3.
Closing early will allow CHC/SEK staff to travel home more safely on Wednesday, and the late opening will allow time for clinic maintenance crews to get parking lots and sidewalks cleared of accumulated snow.
By Clara Wicoff
Did you know February is American Heart Month? With Valentine’s Day approaching, it’s the perfect time to be thinking about heart health! Here are some heart-related items to keep in mind.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. This is also true for the state of Kansas, where heart disease leads all causes of death. Making healthy lifestyle choices can help to prevent heart disease. Two of these choices include eating a healthy diet and being physically active. The former is essential because poor dietary quality is the top risk factor for heart disease, accounting for approximately half of heart disease deaths worldwide. The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have identified several diet recommendations related to heart health. This includes following a diet which emphasizes eating vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, whole grains, and fish. They also recommend choosing foods lower in sodium and cholesterol, replacing saturated fats with unsaturated fats (like cooking with vegetable oil instead of butter), and avoiding sweetened beverages.
In addition to eating a heart-healthy diet, being physically active is also key to promoting heart health. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. These guidelines also recommend doing muscle-strengthening activities on at least two days per week. However, if this is more than you can do right now, focus on doing what you can. Even just five minutes of physical activity can have health benefits!
There are many tools out there which can help you to make healthy choices regarding diet and exercise, including MyPlate, the Nutrition Facts label, and more. Learning how to use these tools to improve your health and potentially reduce your health care costs will be the focus of a free class I am teaching at the LaHarpe City Hall on Saturday, February 26th at 1 PM. For more information about this class and other steps you can take to prevent heart disease, please contact me at [email protected] or 620-365-2242.
Chamber Coffee hosted by Lyons Realty Group This week’s Chamber Coffee will be canceled and rescheduled for next week Thursday, February 10th. Contact the Chamber of Commerce at (620) 223-3566 for more information.
Due to inclement weather, ALL Fort Scott Community College locations will be closed Wednesday, February 2nd. Stay safe, Stay warm Greyhounds!
Junior Duck Stamp Contest
Fort Scott Kan. – Saturday, February 19, 2022, Fort Scott National Historic Site and Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge are presenting the 29th annual national Junior Duck Stamp art contest. Art programs will run from 10am-noon and 2pm-3:30pm and all students in kindergarten through grade twelve are encouraged to participate in the art and conservation message contest. Participants need to check in at the park’s Visitor Center at 10am and 2pm for directions.
During the program participants will learn more about types of waterfowl and also what the judges look for in the artwork. Participants will create original artwork using watercolors, crayon, or pencil. Because students express themselves best in different formats, the conservation message contest gives them an opportunity to use the written word to express their knowledge. Submissions of your Junior Duck Stamp entry may be made on this day at the park or to the Great Plains Nature Center in Wichita for Kansas entries. Entry forms will be available and all entries must be postmarked by March 15, 2022.
Margaret McMullen, an 18-year-old from Kansas, took top honors in the Service’s National Junior Duck Stamp Art Contest with her acrylic rendition of a pair of Hooded Mergansers. The winning conservation message was by Josie Arp, 15, of Arkansas with her message: “When the world turned upside-down nature calmly and quietly laid a blanket of comfort over us all.”
The Federal Junior Duck Stamp Conservation and Design Program began in 1989 as an extension of the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp, commonly known as the Duck Stamp. The first national Junior Duck Stamp art contest was held in 1993. The stamp encourages students to explore their natural world, participate in outdoor recreation activities, and learn wildlife management principles. National Junior Duck Stamp Contest winner receives $1,000. The second-place winner receives $500; the third-place winner receives $200; the Conservation Message winner receives $200. Other prizes are awarded at the state level for each age category.
The National Park Service currently requires that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask in all federal buildings and outside when others are present and physical distancing (staying at least six feet apart) cannot be maintained.
Credit Photo as Margaret McMullen Artwork
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly announced that total tax collections for January were $944.5 million. That is $119.6 million, or 14.5%, more than the monthly estimate. This is also an 18.7% growth over January 2021.
“Over the past three years my administration has taken steps to restore the Kansas economy, and that fiscal responsibility has paved the way to provide direct tax relief to Kansas taxpayers,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “That relief will come specifically through proposals like axing the state’s sales tax on food. I urge the Legislature to send a clean bill to my desk quickly, so we can get this done for Kansas families.”
Individual income tax collections were $542.2 million. That is $82.2 million, or 17.9%, more than the estimate and 18.4% more than the previous January. Wage withholding remains strong going into 2022 reflecting both improved statewide employment and accompanying wage growth.
Retail sales tax collections were $258.2 million for January. This is $18.2 million, or 7.6%, more than the estimate and 14.9% more than January 2021. Compensating use tax collections also exceeded estimates by 5.2%. Those collections are also 30.2% more than the previous January. Both retailer’s sales tax and compensating use tax collections established new monthly collection records in January 2022.
“Individual income tax, corporate income tax, retailer’s sales tax, and compensating use tax all continue to perform well as the state’s primary revenue sources,” Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart said. “Increased holiday spending in December accounts in large part for the record sales and compensating use tax collections in January.”
View the tax receipts here.
Bobbe Ellen Ward, 91, passed away on January 29 at Guest Home Estates in Fort Scott where she had resided for the past few years. Bobbe was born on July 4, 1930, in Uniontown, Kansas to Alton and Ellen (Roberts) Clark. She graduated from Uniontown High School.
She married Daniel S. Ward on July 24,1948, in Redfield, Kansas, and he preceded her in death May 9, 2013.
During her husband’s time in the military, she lived in Florida and California, eventually returning to Fort Scott. Bobbe worked as a teacher’s aide and a secretary at Eugene Ware Elementary School for many years.
Bobbe was a member of the First United Methodist Church where over the years she had been involved in Methodist Women, Sunday school, volunteer activities and Cub Scout den mother. She enjoyed square dancing, sewing, quilting, knitting, crocheting, her coffee group with long-time friends and preparing meals after church on Sunday for her growing family. She loved attending sport and school activities.
Bobbe had the gift of laughter and those that had the pleasure of knowing her never saw her in a bad mood. At Guest Home Estates, the staff called her “their cheerleader.”
Bobbe is survived by two sons, Clark Ward and wife Marla of Bella Vista, Arkansas; and Mark Ward and wife Lisa, Fort Scott; one daughter Rebecca Allen of Fort Scott; eight grandchildren, Daniel Ward, Abby Stepps and husband Trent; Jacki Ferrier and husband Ryan; Joce Renfro and husband Jordan; Christopher Allen; Lauren Ammons; Alex and Austin Ward; four great-grandchildren, Eden Cazares, Tayte, Beighlor, and Trae Stepps.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Dan; sister Sylvia Bybee and brother Richard Clark.
Following cremation, private family graveside services will be held at the Fort Scott National Cemetery under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.
Memorial contributions may be made to the First United Methodist Church or Meals on Wheels and may be left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall Street, P.O. Box 309, Fort Scott, KS 66701. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.
