Obituary

Obituary of Nola Smith

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Nola J. Smith, age 67, a resident of Redfield, Kansas, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

She was born September 25, 1954, in Ft Scott, Kansas, the daughter of Calvin L. Pitts and Grace Wiggans Pitts.  Nola married Richard Alan Smith on March 27, 1971, at the United Methodist Church in Uniontown, Kansas.

In earlier years, Nola worked for the Western Insurance Company and then for Key Work Clothes.  She later accepted a secretarial position for the Fort Scott Community College and then worked in claims and data entry for Great West/Cigna.  Nola’s last job was working as a carhop for Sonic which she considered quite an accomplishment for someone of her age.

Nola was happiest when she was surrounded by her family.  They have many memories of her preparing meals, especially at Thanksgiving and Christmas.  She also enjoyed taking the occasional trip to the casino or spending a little time antiquing or going to an auction.  Quiet times at home were spent doing jigsaw puzzles.  She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.

 

Survivors include her son, Christopher Smith (Darla) of Wamego, Kansas and Kimberly Smith (Allen Beerbower) of Redfield, Kansas and two grandchildren, Glenn Arron Smith and Hailey Beerbower.  Also surviving are two brothers, Carl Hall of Pittsburg, Kansas and Ed Pitts (Luanne) of Redfield.

Nola was preceded in death by her husband, Richard, on October 6, 2018 and also by her parents.

 

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. Wednesday, April 6th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Burial will follow in the Uniontown Cemetery.

The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Tuesday evening at the Cheney Witt Chapel.

Memorials are suggested to Care to Share 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, Schools

Free Developmental Screenings For Children 3-5 at Uniontown April 4

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Developmental screenings will be available for children ages 3-5 who may need special education and related services on Monday, April 4, 2022 at West Bourbon Elementary, Uniontown, KS.

 

Vision, hearing, speech, and developmental screenings can be conducted for children ages 3-5 at no cost. This free screening is sponsored by the Southeast Kansas Interlocal #637 and USD 235.

Appointments are necessary and can be arranged by contacting Jennifer Vaughn at (620) 704-6549.

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Free Seminar Targets Women Starting/Growing Their Business

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Healthy Bourbon County Action Team staff have organized a fourth seminar targeting women who are seeking information on starting/growing a business.

The event is Wednesday, April 6 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the HBCAT office, 104 N. National Avenue.

“This will help local women entrepreneurs know their resources and learn from local women leaders on how to create a sustainable business,” said Rachel Carpenter, program director. “This is an opportunity for women to network and create relationships to help their businesses take the next professional step.”

For this Dare to Dream seminar, the time has been scheduled for table-talk discussion with past keynote speakers and panelists.
“This is the fourth part of the Dare to Dream series,” Carpenter said. “We will have some of the past keynote speakers and panelists available for table discussion. This will be a time for any questions to be answered from the audience.”
“Any questions you may have you will be able to ask some of the women leaders of Bourbon County. We want you to be SUCCESSFUL! There will be more time for social networking and building relationships,” according to its Facebook page.
Past speakers who will be available for a round table open discussion are Erin Vann, Hwy. 3; Dacia Clark, PSU Small Business Development Center; Katie Casper, Union State Bank; Angela Simon, Bids and Dibs; Rebecca Williams, The Butcher Block; Kelly Perry, Perry’s Pork Rinds; Lindsay Madison, The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce and Rachel Carpenter and Jody Hoener of the HBCAT.

Please note there is one registration per person to help us with registration.

Melissa Wise, the keynote speaker, is the owner of Wise Tax and Accounting and has over 20 years of experience with accounting, payroll, and taxes.

Melissa Wise. Submitted photo.

Registration is required for childcare.

There will be a taco bar catered by La Hacienda, and Margaritas available for purchase.

Dinner and networking from 5-5:30 p.m. with the program starting at 5:30 p.m.

Funding for this event is being provided by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas as part of Bourbon County Pathways to a Healthy Kansas grant and the USDA Rural Business Development Grant, according to its Facebook page.

“Through this grant, we are partnered with Pittsburg State University Small Business Development Center to organize this event,” she said.

“We will be giving away a PSU gift basket and a tablet as door prizes,” Carpenter said.
Area News, Church news

Area Churches come together to pack food for people in Ukraine

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Submitted photos.

Seven area churches partnered together with IDES (International Disaster Emergency Services) to put meals together for people in Ukraine.

Those seven churches were Rinehart Christian Church, Walker Christian Church, Rich Hill Christian Church, Hume Christian Church, 1st Christian out of Nevada, and Community Christian out of Nevada, and Sheldon Christian Church.

“It was a great time of coming together with other believers in Jesus and working on a common goal/project,” said Kevin Moyers, Pastor at Rinehart Christian Church.

Submitted photos.

Friday evening, March 25th, a truck arrived at the Rinehart Church from Indianapolis and about 30 people helped unload the truck of all the food supplies.  “We set up 10 lines (2 tables in each line) from which the food would be handled the next morning and put into bags,” Moyers said.

Submitted photos.

On Saturday, March 26th, approximately 120 people from those 7 churches gathered at 9 a.m. and for the next three hours were busy, packaging 53,280 meals.

“It’s hard to imagine how that is possible, but you would have had to see it to imagine it,”  Moyers said. “The system that IDES has in place for this kind of service project is very efficient.  And of course, it takes people who are willing to ‘stay at it.’ Older folks, younger folks, kids…everyone working together to the glory of God.  This was actually a fun project to do!”

Submitted photos.

The food bags consisted of rice, soy, dried vegetables, and a bag of 21 essential vitamins and nutrients.  When full, the bags were six servings, therefore six meals per bag.  The recipient of the bag of food will add the contents to 1.5-2 liters of boiling water, and after cooking for 20 minutes there is enough food that will fill to overflowing a 2 qt. crockpot. IDES figures the cost of each meal at twenty-five cents.  Figure the total cost of this project:  $13,320.  The seven churches partnered in coming up with that money.

Submitted photos.

“It was a really great event to be a part of,” Pastor Moyers said.  “IDES has committed 1,000,000 meals to Ukraine, and we were so happy to be a part of that relief effort.  We weren’t sure at first where the food was going to go, as this event has been in the planning stage for about nine months.  IDES is a crisis relief ministry and they send help all over the world.  When we were told on Saturday this shipment of food was going to Ukraine it was very exciting to our people.”

Fort Scott, Government

Fort Scott Project On Hwy.69 Gets Bids Approved

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KDOT announces approved March bids
The Kansas Department of Transportation announces approved bids for state highway construction and maintenance projects. The letting took place March 16, 2022, in Topeka. Some of the bids may include multiple projects that have been bundled based on proximity and type of work.

 District One — Northeast

Johnson ‑ 56‑46 KA‑6246‑01 – U.S. 56, from the start of curbs in west Gardner northeast to N. Sycamore Street, milling and overlay, 0.9 mile, Superior Bowen Asphalt Company LLC, Kansas City, Missouri, $423,590.45.

Johnson ‑ 56‑46 KA‑6370‑01 ‑ U.S. 56, ramps at the U.S. 56/I‑35/ W. 175th Street interchange to include unnamed road from southbound ramps to W. 175th Street in Gardner, overlay, Superior Bowen Asphalt Company LLC, Kansas City, Missouri, $1,305,146.60.

Osage ‑ 68‑70 KA‑6328‑01 ‑ K‑68, from the K‑68/K‑268 junction to the Osage/Franklin county line, milling and overlay, 1.0 mile, Bettis Asphalt & Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $380,333.91.

Shawnee ‑ 70‑89 KA‑1266‑06 ‑ I‑70 Polk/Quincy Viaduct from Topeka Boulevard to Kansas Avenue in Topeka, special, 0.3 mile, Bettis Asphalt & Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $1,999,035.00.

Shawnee ‑ 4‑89 KA‑6127‑01 ‑ K‑4, bridge #231 over the Burlington, Northern and Santa Fe Railroad and the Shunganunga Creek located 0.71 mile north of the north U.S. 40/K‑4 junction, bridge repair, PCI Roads, LLC, Saint Michael, Minnesota, $606,868.75.

Shawnee ‑ 75‑89 KA‑6128‑01 ‑ U.S. 75, bridges #206 and #207 over Topeka Boulevard (Old Highway 75) located 2.53 miles and 2.54 miles respectively, north of the Osage/Shawnee county line, bridge repair, PCI Roads, LLC, Saint Michael, Minnesota, $2,549,668.42.

Shawnee ‑ 4‑89 KA‑6244‑01 ‑ K‑4, from the Wabaunsee/Shawnee county line to the K‑4/I‑70 junction, milling and overlay, 12.1 miles, Bettis Asphalt & Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $2,850,806.88.

Shawnee ‑ 24‑89 KA‑6393‑01 ‑ U.S. 24, from 550 feet west of N.W. Rochester Road east to 1,130 feet east of N.W. Rochester Road in Topeka, milling and overlay, 0.3 mile, Superior Bowen Asphalt Company LLC, Kansas City, Missouri, $1,724,304.43.

Wabaunsee ‑ 30‑99 KA‑6245‑01 ‑ K‑30, from the K‑30/I‑70 junction to the city limits of Maple Hill, milling and overlay, 2.0 miles, Bettis Asphalt & Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $489,475.17.

Wyandotte ‑ 73‑105 KA‑5498‑01 – U.S. 73, U.S. 73/K‑7 junction and Hollingsworth Road on the Wyandotte/Leavenworth county line, intersection improvement, Miles Excavating, Inc., Basehor, Kansas, $846,304.51.

Wyandotte ‑ 70‑105 KA‑6086‑01 ‑ I‑70, bridge #152 (over I-635 northbound) located at the I‑70/I‑635 Interchange, bridge redeck, Clarkson Construction Company, Kansas City, Missouri, $6,031,010.26.

Wyandotte ‑ 70‑105 KA‑6369‑01 ‑ I‑70, from S. 78th Street east 4 miles to the west I‑70/ I‑635 interchange approach; from 0.5 mile east of the I‑70 bridge over Kaw Drive east to the west S.18th Street bridge approach; and from the I‑70/I‑670 split east to the west Lewis and Clark Viaduct bridge, milling and overlay, 6.4 miles, Superior Bowen Asphalt Company LLC, Kansas City, Missouri, $13,161,769.50.

District Two — North Central

Dickinson ‑ 70‑21 KA‑6406‑01 ‑ I‑70, from approximately 1,843 feet east of the I‑70/K‑206 junction east to the Dickinson/Geary county line, patching and overlay, 2.9 miles, APAC-Kansas Inc. Shears Division, Hutchinson, Kansas, $1,682,930.05.

Geary – 40B3‑31 KA‑3952‑01 ‑ U.S. 40B3, bridge #035 (over the Union Pacific Railroad and Monroe Street) located approximately 1,214 feet east of U.S. 77B in Junction City, bridge replacement, King Construction Company Inc. & Subsidiaries, Hesston, Kansas, $15,957,363.42.

Geary ‑ 70‑31 KA‑6278‑01 ‑ I‑70, from 0.64 mile east of the I‑70/K‑57 junction to the Geary/Riley county line, pavement patching, 15.5 miles, R A Knapp Construction Inc., Lenexa, Kansas, $3,264,702.50.

Saline ‑ 143‑85 KA‑3940‑01 ‑ K‑143, bridge #104 over the Saline River Drainage located 2.62 miles north of I‑70 and bridge #103 over the Saline River Drainage located at the K‑143/E. Granville Road intersection, bridge replacement, L & M Contractors Inc., Great Bend, Kansas, $668,194.00.

District Three — Northwest

Graham ‑ 283‑33 KA‑6418‑01 ‑ U.S. 283, from Prout Street in Hill City to the Graham/Norton county line, milling and overlay, 13.5 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $3,612,818.90.

Graham ‑ 24‑33 KA‑6419‑01 ‑ U.S. 24, from the east city limits of Hill City to the U.S. 24/K‑18 junction, milling and overlay, 8.2 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $1,886,455.12.

Osborne ‑ 181‑71 KA‑3938‑01 ‑ K‑181, bridge #042 over Twin Creek located 6 miles south of U.S. 24, bridge replacement, Bridges Inc., Newton, Kansas, $1,585,322.53.

Phillips ‑ 36‑74 KA‑6002‑01 ‑ U.S. 36, at 10 locations beginning 0.57 mile east of E. 300 Road east to 0.27 mile east of E. 1000 Road, guard fence, 6.7 miles, Bettis Asphalt & Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $1,727,949.50.

Rooks ‑ 82 K‑1659‑07 ‑ From 1.83 miles south of the U.S. 24/ Webster State Park Road entrance north to the U.S. 24/Webster State Park Road entrance, state park road, 1.8 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $307,770.00.

Rooks ‑ 258‑82 KA‑6379‑01 ‑ K‑258, from beginning of route to end of route at the U.S. 24/K‑258 junction, milling and overlay, 3.5 miles, Venture Corporation, Great Bend, Kansas, $801,606.50.

Russell ‑ 281‑84 KA‑2370‑03 ‑ U.S. 281, from Land Road north to the U.S. 281/K‑18 junction, grading and surfacing, 12.0 miles, Sporer Land Development Inc., Oakley, Kansas, $35,972,721.00.

District Four — Southeast

Bourbon ‑ 69‑6 KA‑5563‑01 ‑ U.S. 69 and intersection of 3rd, 6th, 12th and 25th Streets in Fort Scott, traffic signals, 2.0 miles, LaForge & Budd Construction Company Inc., Parsons, Kansas, $2,645,573.03.

Chautauqua ‑ 166B‑10 KA‑4997‑01 – U.S. 166B, bridge #009 over Deer Creek, bridge replacement, B & B Bridge Company LLC, St. Paul, Kansas, $1,173,443.79.

Cherokee ‑ 11 KA‑6371‑01 ‑ U.S. 69 (Military Avenue), from the south city limits of Baxter Springs to the north city limits of Baxter Springs and U.S. 166 (12th Street), from the west city limits of Baxter Springs east to the east city limits of Baxter Springs, milling and overlay, 4.4 miles, Blevins Asphalt Construction Company Inc., Mt. Vernon, Missouri, $1,170,571.38.

Franklin ‑ 68‑30 KA‑6329‑01 ‑ K‑68, from the Franklin/Osage county line to the west city limits of Ottawa, milling and overlay, 12.3 miles, Bettis Asphalt & Construction Inc., Topeka, Kansas, $3,984,272.50.

District Five — South Central

Sedgwick ‑ 87 N‑0717‑01 ‑ Academy Avenue from S. Cathey Street to Maize Road in Maize, grading and surfacing, 0.6 mile, Pearson Construction LLC, Wichita, Kansas, $6,681,860.00.

District Six — Southwest

Meade ‑ 54‑60 KA‑6130‑01 ‑ U.S. 54, bridges #031 and #032 over Crooked Creek located 6.1 miles and 7.7 miles respectively, northeast of the U.S. 54/ U.S. 160 junction, bridge repair, Bridges Inc., Newton, Kansas, $909,070.95.

 

The following project was approved from the Feb. 16, 2022, letting.

Riley ‑ 81 U‑2373‑01 – Marlatt and Northview Elementary Schools in Manhattan, pedestrian and bicycle paths, 0.3 mile, Ebert Construction Co. Inc. & Subsidiary, Wamego, Kansas, $436,672.15.
Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

FS Spring Town-Wide Garage Sale Is May 6-7

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Mark your calendars for the Spring Town-wide Garage Sale on Friday and Saturday, May 6th and 7th. Now is the time to get your garage sale on the map.

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce encourages residents to do your spring cleaning and make room for something new. Garage sales may be registered through the Chamber by 1 p.m., Monday, May 2nd for only $12. The registration fee lists your sale on the official garage sale map, receive two colorful balloons and enables the Chamber to advertise the sale throughout the region on the radio, newspaper, social media, and the Chamber website.

In addition to garage sale listings, businesses are encouraged to advertise on the map, which will be distributed to shoppers the week of the Town-wide Garage Sale. The maps will be distributed from several local stores, the Chamber, social media, and fortscott.com. The cost to place a business ad or coupon is $25 for small ad and $35 for larger ad.

Garage sales may be registered in person at the Chamber office at 231 E. Wall St., 8am-5pm Monday through Friday, online at fortscott.com, or over the phone using debit or credit card by calling (620) 223-3566.

COVID-19, Government, Health Care

COVID-19 Second Booster Available

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KDHE Supports FDA and CDC Recommendation for Second Dose of COVID-19 Booster for Certain Individuals

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has authorized the over 2,000 COVID-19 vaccine providers across Kansas to begin offering a second dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines for individuals aged 50 and over and certain immunocompromised individuals following authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition, CDC recommends adults who received a primary vaccine and booster dose of Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen COVID-19 vaccine at least 4 months ago may now receive a second booster dose using an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.

These updated recommendations acknowledge the increased risk of severe disease in certain populations, including those who are over the age of 50 with multiple underlying conditions, along with the currently available data on vaccine and booster effectiveness.

The following updates were made to booster shot eligibility.

  • A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine or Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered to individuals 50 years of age and older at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine.
  • A second booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered to individuals 12 years of age and older with certain kinds of immunocompromise at least 4 months after receipt of a first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine. These are people who have undergone solid organ transplantation, or who are living with conditions that are considered to have an equivalent level of immunocompromise.
  • A second booster dose of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine may be administered at least 4 months after the first booster dose of any authorized or approved COVID-19 vaccine to individuals 18 years of age and older with the same certain kinds of immunocompromise.

Vaccines remain the best tool to protect people from COVID-19, slow transmission and reduce the likelihood of new variants emerging. The authorized COVID-19 vaccines are highly effective in preventing serious illness, hospitalizations, and death. COVID-19 booster shots are authorized for all people ages 12 and over. To find a vaccine near you, visit Vaccines.gov.

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Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Chamber Coffee at Iron Star March 31

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Join us for this week’s Chamber Coffee!
Hosted by Iron Star Antiques & Such
Thursday, March 31st, 8am
3 N. Main Street
In Fort Scott’s Downtown Historic District
Barbara Trimbur, Owner,
Invite Chamber members & Guests
to come see what’s new for Spring!
Follow Iron Star on Instagram HERE!
Like Iron Star’s Facebook page HERE!
Thank you to our Chamber Champions listed below!
Area News

Prisoner Walks Away in Johnson County

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KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS RESIDENT ALEXIS WOLFGEHER #126758 WALKED AWAY FROM CONTRACT PLACEMENT IN JOHNSON COUNTY

TOPEKA, Kansas. – Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC) Alexis Wolfgeher #126758 has been placed on escape status. KDOC Enforcement Apprehension & Investigation (EAI) Special Agents and local law enforcement are conducting a search for Ms. Wolfgeher.

Wolfgeher, a 23-year-old while female, has black hair currently dyed red, brown eyes, is 5 feet 2 inch tall and weighs 112 pounds.

Wolfgeher is currently serving a sentence for a conviction in Johnson County for possession of opiates. She is serving that sentence at the Johnson County Department of Corrections (JCDOC) Adult Residential Center (ARC) from which she walked away. Under an agreement between the KDOC and JCDOC, residents who have release plans that are appropriate to Johnson County are housed at the ARC to promote their successful reintegration back into the community.

Anyone with information on Wolfgeher can call EAI at 816-266-2102, JCDOC 913-715-6539, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation at (800) 572-7463 or local law enforcement at 911. Or contact EAI via email at [email protected]

The escape is currently being investigated.  New information will be released as it becomes available.

Bourbon County Local News