Bourbon County, Government

Shane Walker Begins As New Fort Scott City Commissioner

Leave a comment

Shane Walker, 53, is the new Fort Scott City Commissioner, replacing Pete Allen who resigned last month.

Walker is the Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Bourbon County.

He has 10 years experience in a corporate setting, five years running his own business and 18 years of local government experience, he said. He has also been a firefighter for 10 years and has served on a regional Homeland Security board through the State of Kansas.

Walker’s education history involves multiple schools and programs mainly in information technology from IBM, Cisco, Sun and Microsoft.

Currently, he is involved in the community as a part of Gunn Park Trails, a volunteer mountain bike trail group; is the local Historic Preservation Association Vice President and is in the Knights of Columbus.

He and his wife have four daughters.

Walker applied for the city commissioner vacancy because he wants to “help make Fort Scott a better place that my kids want to come back to, after college, and live.”

His first meeting as a commissioner was April 5.

The duties of Fort Scott City Commissioners are to set policy, procedures and budgets, he said.

The commission meets the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6 p.m. at City Hall, 123 S. Main.

Church news, Fort Scott

Learn About Labyrinth Walking

Leave a comment
Labyrinth Information Sessions This Week! 
Join Rev. Christopher Eshelman from First United Methodist Church at one of the following sessions to learn more about the spiritual practice of labyrinth walking and plans to lay out one (or two!) in Fort Scott in the next couple of months.
A walking labyrinth is not a maze – there are no wrong turns or dead ends – rather it is a single path to a center – so the walker literally “centers themselves” while walking.
You’ll learn some history and have a chance to draw a couple of common designs to better understand these tools. Sessions will last about an hour and are:
7 pm Wednesday, April 20 in the church parlor (301 S. National)
2 pm Thursday, April 21 at Hedgehog, Ink! (16 South Main)
or 2 pm Saturday, April 23 again in the church parlor.
A temporary Chartres design in Pretty Prairie,  later this one was made permanent.  Submitted photo.
Submitted by Rev. Christopher Eshelman
Pastor – Fort Scott First UMC

Obituary

Obituary of Phyllis Ward

Leave a comment

Phyllis L. Ward, age 89, went to her eternal home in Heaven on Thursday, April 14, 2022. Her parents were Roy & Lula Bentley and she was raised in Ft. Scott, KS. She was a loving Mother and Housewife. She did work a few years before retiring to Ft. Scott, at Rival Mfg., in Albany, MO. She enjoyed gardening, sewing, embroidering & could make the best pies ever. She raised 5 ornery children on Ranches with her husband, Harold Ward. They were married for 68 years before his passing in June of 2019. She loved her family which included 5 children, 8 Grandchildren & 16 Great Grandchildren. She loved babies and they brought her great joy. She spent her last several years in Wichita, Kansas. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

She was welcomed home by her husband, Harold, her parents Roy & Lula Bentley, In-laws Hubert & Tressie Ward, along with several siblings & in-laws and 2 sons, Harold Stephen Ward & Ricky Joe Ward. They had a wonderful reunion celebration upon her arrival.

She is survived by 3 daughters, Debra Vanderveer (Tim) of Crawfordville, FL; Diana Thompson (Monte) of Wichita, KS; Patricia Cadle of Goddard, KS.; along with the Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren who knew her as Nana. We will look forward to seeing her again someday in Heaven.

A celebration of Life service will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Cheney Witt Chapel. She will be laid to rest in the Uniontown Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Friday, April 22nd from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Memorials are suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association and may be left in the 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

Obituary of Ann Bannon Meara Bolden

3 Comments

Ann Bannon Meara Bolden passed away on April 10, 2022. She was born on December 2, 1977, at Mercy Hospital in Fort Scott, Kansas, to Daniel F. Meara and JoAnn F. Meara.

She began her education at St. Mary’s School in Fort Scott, Kansas, then went to Fort Scott Middle School and Fort Scott High School, where she graduated in 1996.

She then attended Pittsburg State University before meeting the love of her life, Derek C. Bolden. She and Derek were married at Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, in Fort Scott, Kansas, on October 14, 2000. They then lived in Kansas City, Kansas.

Although she began to experience the symptoms in 2005, she was finally diagnosed with primary progressive Multiple Sclerosis in 2010, she continued to discharge her duties at work.

From then to the date of her death, she maintained her love for her family and friends. She prayed for those in distress and those in need of her love. She was well-known for her courage in the face of her debilitating disease and her unfailing sense of humor.

She always brought out the best in all of us and we will continue to hold her in the most sacred place of our hearts for the rest of our lives.

She leaves her husband, Derek C. Bolden, her parents Daniel F. Meara and JoAnn F. Meara, her mother-in-law and father-in-law, Priscilla and Chuck Tolman, her aunts Peggy Niles, Mary Morrow, and Mary Jane Schaefer, her brother, Daniel F. Meara III and wife Amy, sister Megan F. Sailors and husband Jeff, brother, Brendan L. Meara and wife Julie, brother James Meara and wife Zo, brother John Meara and wife Jodie, and sister Kathleen Meara; her sisters-in-law Valerie Witt and Dionne Green, and brother-in-law John Chambers and wife Jennifer; her cousins Matt Morrow and wife Kathy, Jeanine Bock and husband Tim, Ronald Schaefer and wife Christy, Laurie Roach, Larry Schaefer and wife Sharon, Leslie Crane and husband Bruce, Geri Roling and husband Mark, Pamela Harrison and husband Brad, Steven Schaefer and wife Mackenzie, and the families of her cousins. She loved as individuals each of her nieces and nephews: Daniel F. Meara IV, Patrick Meara, Samuel Sailors, Maxwell Sailors, Alexis Sailors, Leo Meara, Theodore Meara, Robin Meara, Chairno Baldeh, Kirsten Green, Mathew Baldeh, Tristen Green, Simone Baldeh, Caleb Chambers, Alex Chambers, and Dylan Chambers.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Friday, April 22, 2022, at 10:00 AM at Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church, 714 S. Eddy, Fort Scott, Kansas.

Ann was particularly concerned for those in need, the hungry and homeless. For that reason, in lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Harvesters Community Food Network, a non-profit organization for the relief of the poor, 3801 Topping Ave., Kansas City, MO 64129. Donations may also be made to St. Mary’s School, 702 S. Eddy, Fort Scott, Kansas 66701.

Opinion

From Top to Bottom by Carolyn Tucker

Leave a comment

Keys to the Kingdom

Have you ever searched high and low for something and still couldn’t find it? I live by the adage, “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Nonetheless, I occasionally decide that the place where I’ve kept an item for the past 41 years isn’t the most logical. So then I move it and, the next time I need it, I don’t know where it is. I’ve pretty-much decided that it’s better to leave it in the original “wrong” place than to change it. I don’t enjoy looking from top to bottom as if I’m playing “hide the thimble“ all by myself. When I’m the hider and the seeker, I feel like a ding-dong when I can‘t find it!

 

At the time of the crucifixion of Jesus, there were two curtains (veils) inside the temple — one at the entrance to the Holy Place and one at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. Only the high priest was allowed to pass through the second curtain once a year. This curtain was 60 feet high, 30 feet wide, and 4 inches thick. From Golgotha’s cross, Jesus shouted, “It is finished!” and then He released His spirit. “At that moment the curtain [veil] in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened….“ (Matthew 27:51,52 NLT). It was humanly impossible to tear this thick curtain. But when God Himself ripped it in half from top to bottom, He was declaring that everyone could freely come directly to Him through the blood of Jesus!

 

“So Christ has now become the High Priest over all the good things that have come. He has entered that greater, more perfect Tabernacle in heaven…. With His own blood — not the blood of goats and calves — He entered the Most Holy Place [Holy of Holies] once for all time and secured our redemption forever. …He is the One who mediates a new covenant between God and people, so that all who are called can receive the eternal inheritance God has promised them” (Hebrews 9:11,12,15 NLT). Christ’s sacrifice was perfect because it was completely effective and didn’t need to be repeated. He alone, as our Redeemer, paid the ransom forever with His precious blood. Jesus is the One who enacted the new covenant with a new relationship with God. The unveiling of Jesus Christ occurred when the veil was torn in two at the entrance of the Holy of Holies.

 

Christ Jesus abolished the requirement for the curtain at the entrance to the Holy of Holies. “When God speaks of a ‘new’ covenant, it means He has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear” (Hebrews 8:13 NLT). The installation of the new covenant proved that the one already in existence was temporary. To return to the old system would be to return to what is no longer valid or effective. “But now Jesus, our High Priest, has been given a ministry that is far superior to the old priesthood, for He is the One who mediates for us a far better covenant with God, based on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6 NLT).

 

I used to think that planned obsolescence only pertained to appliances, but I just realized that God planned for old-covenant obsolescence. I’ll take the new superior over the old inferior any day. Years ago I tried to drink a can of Coke that was out of date — to say it was ineffective would be an understatement. From A to Z, from The Word to Lord, from El Shaddai to the Bread of Life, from a baby to a King, Jesus is everything.

 

The Key: We have a new covenant with God, signed, sealed, and delivered in the blood of Jesus.

Opinion

Housing and Recession by Greg Motley

Leave a comment

 

In 2008, the housing bubble burst, which took our whole economy into the “Great Recession,” the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, which began in 1929.  In the current decade, the process could be reversed, with an economic downtown slowing the latest run-up of housing prices.  Is a recession eminent?  No one knows for sure, and unique factors both globally and locally will play as yet an unknown role in in determining the answer to that question.

 

As an economics major (who still makes a practice of studying the discipline), a former Federal Reserve Bank employee and a life-long banker, I have long believed that the interest rate yield curve shape has been the most reliable indicator of an impending recession over the last 65 years.  The interest rate yield curve is said to be inverted when the interest paid on a one-year US Treasury security exceeds the rate paid on a 10-year instrument; normally, the curve slants up, not down.  Every measurable recession since I was born (there have been 9 since 1956) has been predicted by the inversion of the yield curve.  Only once during that time period did an inversion occur without an ensuing recession.  We are close to another yield curve inversion; in fact, it has occurred momentarily several times in the last few weeks.

 

How does the inverted yield curve impact housing?  Eventually, the rise in short-term interest rates pushes up longer term rates, including home mortgages.  A rise in unemployment usually follows the rate increase.  When mortgage rates and unemployment increase significantly, the housing market slows down.  This will be particularly hard on rural America as we have not experienced the building boom seen in metropolitan areas, and our crying need for additional housing will go unmet awhile longer.

 

Making it even more difficult for Bourbon County to generate new housing is the hangover from the 2008 housing bust.  Previously, we had several builders who were eminently qualified and resourced to build a quality home here, but no longer.  Yes, we still have qualified builders, but they no longer have subcontracting crews on which they can rely to construct a quality home on time and on budget; those tradesmen are not sitting around waiting for the next opportunity.  Assembling the expertise to build a new home in the future will be a challenge.

 

Bourbon County REDI and the board of the new Land Bank are aware of these factors, and are committed to searching for creative solutions.  It will not be easy, but we need to stay alert for opportunities to solve the housing needs in all of Bourbon County.

Obituary

Obituary of Phyllis Ward

Leave a comment

 

Phyllis L. Ward, age 89, went to her eternal home in Heaven on Thursday, April 14, 2022.

Her parents were Roy & Lula Bentley and she was raised in Ft. Scott, KS.

She was a loving mother and housewife. She did work a few years before retiring to Ft. Scott, at Rival Mfg., in Albany, MO.

She enjoyed gardening, sewing, embroidering & could make the best pies ever.

She raised five ornery children on ranches with her husband, Harold Ward. They were married for 68 years before his passing in June of 2019.

She loved her family which included five children, eight grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. She loved babies and they brought her great joy.

She spent her last several years in Wichita, Kansas.

She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.

She was welcomed home by her husband, Harold, her parents Roy and Lula Bentley, In-laws Hubert and Tressie Ward, along with several siblings and in-laws and two sons, Harold Stephen Ward and Ricky Joe Ward. They had a wonderful reunion celebration upon her arrival.

She is survived by three daughters, Debra Vanderveer (Tim) of Crawfordville, FL; Diana Thompson (Monte) of Wichita, KS; Patricia Cadle of Goddard, KS.; along with the grandchildren and great- grandchildren who knew her as Nana.

We will look forward to seeing her again some day in Heaven.

Celebration of Life service will be held at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Cheney Witt Chapel.

She will be laid to rest in the Uniontown Cemetery.

The family will receive friends on Friday April 22nd from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Memorials are suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association 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.

Bourbon County, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

What’s Happening in Fort Scott April 15 Newsletter

Leave a comment
What’s Happening in Fort Scott!
April 15th Weekly Newsletter
So much fun coming up in Fort Scott,
share with your friends & family!
Save the Date for the Downtown Clean-up Event!
Let us know if you would like to volunteer!
UPCOMING CALENDAR OF EVENTS
________________
TROLLEY TOURS,
ON THE HOUR FROM THE CHAMBER!
Friday 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm
Saturday 10am, 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm
$6 adults, $4 children 12 & under
50-minute narrated tour of Historic Fort Scott!
4/15 ~ Kansas Rocks Recreation Park Spring Off Road 101 Course, 2051 130th St. Mapleton, KS, 9am-5pm
4/16 ~ Artillery Training Course, must be 16 or older, FS National Historic Site, click here for more details.
4/16 ~ Find the Golden Egg Shopping Event, Downtown Fort Scott Historic District & Around, click here for list of retailers.
4/16 ~ Easter Egg Hunt, Fulton Community Center, 11am, click here.
4/16 ~ EKTEC Rodeo, Uniontown @ 10am, click here for details.
4/18 ~ Fort Scott Farmers’ Market Vendor Meeting, 104 N. National, 6:30pm
4/19 ~ Downtown Meet & Greet hosted by the Chamber at Papa Don’s, all are welcome! 8:30-9:30am to update & share ideas related to Downtown.
4/19 ~ Grant Writing Training, Community Foundation of SEK, 402 N. Broadway Pittsburg, 9-10:30am, click here.
4/19 ~ Human Trafficking Seminar, Ellis Fine Arts Center at FSCC, 6pm, hosted by the Bourbon County Sheriff’s Dept.
4/21 ~ Chamber Coffee hosted by Bourbon County Conservation District,
1515 S. Judson St., 8am
4/21 ~ Preschool & Kindergarden Roundup at Fort Scott Christian Heights, 4-6pm, click here for more info.
4/21 ~ Ladies Craft Night, Museum of Creativity, 102 S. National Ave., 6-8pm, click here.
4/22 ~ Downtown Clean-up, Sign a waiver form by April 19th to receive a free shirt,
3-6pm click here.
4/23-24 ~ Civil War Encampment Weekend at the Fort Scott National Historic Site, click here.
4/23-24 ~ Fort Scott Charity Mud Run, Bourbon County Fair Grounds, click here.
4/23 ~ River Market Spring Craft Show, River Room, 3 W. Oak St., 10am-5pm
4/23 ~ Elk’s 3-Person Golf Scramble for Community Fireworks, Woodland Hills Golf Course, 11am, click here.
4/23 ~ St. Mary’s Dinner and Auction, St. Mary’s Catholic School, 5-8pm
4/24-25 ~ Kansas National Interscholastic Racing Association Bike Race, Gunn Park Trails, click here for more details.
4/24 ~ Mommy & Daughter Day, The Beauty Lounge, 1-5pm
4/24 ~ Monthly Meeting Bourbon County Democrats, Administration Building of FSCC – Heritage Room, 2108 S. Horton, 2-3:30pm
4/27 ~ FSCC Women’s Appreciation Luncheon, more details to come, 11am-1pm
4/27 ~ Photography Meet & Greet Seminar, Gordon Parks Museum, 5:30-6:30pm, click here.
4/28 ~ Chamber Coffee hosted by Fort Scott Pioneers – Kiwanis, Gunn Park Shelter 3, 8am
4/28 ~ Lego Club, Museum of Creativity, 13+ meets from 4-6pm, 7-12 meets from 4:30-5:30pm, click here.
4/28 ~ Ladies Craft Night, Museum of Creativity, 102 S. National Ave., 6-8pm, click here.
5/3 ~ Cinco De Mayo, The Beauty Lounge Girls, 4-8pm, click here to register.
5/3 ~ City Commission Meeting, City Hall,
6-7pm
SAVE THE DATE:
5/6-7 ~ Spring Town-Wide Garage Sale, REGISTER now here.
5/5-8 ~ Big Kansas Road Trip, STUMP, click here for more details about BKRT.
5/6-7 ~ Pioneer Harvest Swap Meet, Bourbon County Fair Grounds, 8am-5pm, click here.
5/6 ~ USD 234 Preschool Roundup, Appointment only, 8-3pm, click here.
_____________
SHOPPING ~ SUPPORT LOCAL!
Boutiques-Antiques-Flea Markets & more!
Clickhere for Chamber member
specialty shopping & other retail in
Downtown & other areas of the community.
Fort Scott Area
Chamber of Commerce
620-223-3566
In This Issue
Chamber Highlights
Click here for our
Membership Directory.
We THANK our members for their support! Interested in joining the Chamber?
Click here for info.
Thinking of doing business in or relocating to Fort Scott?
Contact us for a relocation packet, information on grants & incentives, and more!
Seeking a job/career?
We post a Job of the Day daily on our Facebook page, distribute a monthly job openings flyer, and post jobs on our website.
Many opportunities available!
Housing needs?
Click here for a listing of our Chamber member realtors.
Click here for our rental listing.
Find the Golden Egg Shopping Event
River Market Spring Craft Show
Human Trafficking Seminar
Elk’s 3 Person Golf Scramble for Community Fireworks
Fort Scott Charity Mud Run
Spring Town-Wide Garage Sale – REGISTER NOW!
…

Bourbon County Local News