Time to Float your Teeth by Carolyn Tucker
Keys to the Kingdom
By Carolyn Tucker
My first horse was named Judy but she didn’t stick around very long after she fell from my good graces when she bit me in the belly. She used her teeth in a harmful way. My next horse was an 11-year-old sorrel gelding named Lucky. He hung around for a long time because he was disciplined and gentle. After a few years, his teeth started doing goofy things and he had to have them floated. Recently, I found myself in the dentist’s chair because a tiny piece of tooth chipped away and I had to have it repaired with some phony enamel stuff. As I scooted out of the chair and stood up, I put my upper and lower teeth together and exclaimed, “It’s too high, it’s too high!” I’m sure that wasn’t the proper description of my teeth catastrophe, but the dentist interpreted it correctly. He directed me to get back in the chair and he grabbed his Dremel and floated my tooth. I walked out with happy chompers because my bite was made right.
One of the jobs of the Holy Spirit is to gently nudge believers in the right direction when there’s a tiny piece of something wrong in our heart. When we tell our heavenly Father, “I really want to be like Jesus,” then the third person of the Godhead goes to work to help make that sincere prayer happen. “God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face Him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world” (1 John 4:16,17 NLT).
I am reading a daily devotional book that I previously read in 2018. The title for August 10 was “A Living Example of Love,” with the beginning scripture of Romans 5:5 NIRV: “And hope will never let us down. God has poured His love into our hearts. He did it through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given to us.” I found one underlined sentence in the devotional that pierced my heart with conviction. There was nothing to do but weep and ask for God’s forgiveness. I made a fresh and stronger commitment to live a life of love.
The Holy Spirit’s flashlight revealed that I had failed to talk in love. My words should always be seasoned with grace and mercy if I want to be a living example of love. There are times when my teeth do not come together to form words of love. The Bible says we are to put a guard on our mouth. “Lord, help me control my tongue; help me be careful about what I say” (Psalm 141:3 NCV). Christians are to talk in love, allowing the tenderness of Jesus to flow through us to others. As long as believers have an intense desire to come up higher in the love department, God is pleased. Our heavenly Father is patient and kind toward us and He expects us to be patient with ourselves and with others.
“Think before you speak” is a phrase we’ve all heard and it comes straight from the Bible. “Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you“ (Ephesians 4:29 GNT). The Holy Spirit can smooth off the rough edges of your words if you’ll surrender to Him, listen, and obey when He whispers, “Don‘t say that.“
The Key: If you don’t control your mouth, you probably need to have your teeth floated by the Holy Spirit.
Bourbon County Agenda For Oct. 12
Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Room
1st Floor, County Courthouse
210 S. National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
Tuesdays starting at 9:00
Date: October 12, 2021
1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________
2nd District-Jim Harris Corrected: _______________________
3rd District-Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________
County Clerk-Ashley Shelton
MEETING HELD IN THE COMMISSION ROOM
Call to Order
- Flag Salute
- Approval of Minutes from previous meeting
- Eric Bailey – Road and Bridge Report
- Don Brown – Reno Dry USA regarding Courthouse Building
- Jim Harris – Executive Session – KSA 75-4315(b)(1) To discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy
- Ann Dare – Audit
- County Counselor Comment
- Susan Bancroft, Finance Director Comment
- Public Comment
- Elected Officials Comment
- Commission Comment
Prisoner Apprehended
WICHITA WORK RELEASE FACILITY WALK AWAY ELVIN MORRIS APPREHENDED
FRIDAY, OCT. 8, 2021
TOPEKA, Kansas – Elvin Eugene Morris #93668 has been apprehended after walking away from the Wichita Work Release Facility (WWRF) Oct. 2, 2021.
Morris was taken into custody early afternoon, Friday, Oct. 8, 2021 by officials from the Kansas Department of Corrections Enforcement Apprehensions & Investigations (EAI) Unit and booked into Sedgwick County Jail.
Morris was placed on escape status Saturday, Oct. 2, 2021, after he failing to report back to correctional facility.
At this time no other details are being released as the investigation is ongoing.
The Wichita Work Release Facility, a satellite unit of the Winfield Correctional Facility, is an all-male, minimum-custody state facility with a population of 250.
What’s Happening in Fort Scott Oct. 8 Weekly Newsletter
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U234 Board Agenda for Oct. 11
October 11,2O21 Board Meeting at 5:30 p.m.
UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT 234
BOARD AGENDA
1. Open the meeting
2. Flag Salute
3. Considerconsent agenda (Action)
a. Minutes
Minutes 9-13-21.pdf
Minutes 9-20-21 1200.pdf
Minutes 9-20-21 1215.pdf
b. Bills and Claims
10-11-21 Bills-Claims.pdf
c. Payroll – September 1Z 2O2l – L,425,W.9O
d. Financial Report
10-11-21 Fin. Rept..pdf
e. Activity fund accounts
10-11-21 Act. Funds.pdf
f. FCCIA Fundraiser
10-11-21 FCCtA.pdf
g. Operations Guidelines Correction
An outdated copy of the USD 234 Operations Guidelines was placed in the minutes for August 9, 2021. This has been
corrected.
4. Public Forum
5. Gaiting Criteria (Possible Action)
6. Operations Plan Update (Possible Action)
7- Fort Scott KNEA Report (lnformation)
8. Principal’s Reports (lnformation)
10-11-21 Preschool Report.pdf
10-11-21 WS Report.pdf
10-11-21 EW Report.pdf
10-11-21 MS Report.pdf
10-11-21 HS Report.pdf
9. Academic Director’s Report (lnformation)
10. Superintendent’s Report
11. Business Manager’s Report
12. ESSER Funds Update
13. September20,2O2L Enrollment Count Report
10-11-21 Sept. 20 Cou nt.pdf
14. Consider Emergency Operations Planlor 2O2L-22
15. Consider bus purchases
10-11-31 Bus Purchase.pdf
16. Consider audit contract with Diehl, Banwart, Bolton for the fiscal year endingJune 30,2O2l
10-11-21 Audit. pdf
17. Consider Workers Compensation quotes
18. Consider live streaming school board meetings
19. Fort Scott Mlddle School VIP Fall Extravaganza – November 22, 2O2L – S:OO to 8:00 p.m.
20. Board member comments
21. Executive session – to discuss personnel matters for nonelected personnel and to discuss employer-employee negotiations
22. Consideremployment
23. Discuss Memorandum of Understanding with KNEA
24. Adjourn
Newcomers by Gregg Motley
My wife and I are relatively new to Bourbon County, and we love it here as it reminds us of the small towns in which we were reared. Our reception by Bourbon County was relatively warm compared to the cold shoulder we received for five years in a nearby SEK county. We have earnest business and faith communities here.
Bourbon County has a significant amount of practice in this regard, as we welcome hundreds of newcomers to our county every year in the form of college students. Additionally, we are a tourist destination and host many people here for short visits. These individuals come from a variety of cultural and racial backgrounds. Even as far back as the Civil War, we welcomed an African-American military unit to the fort. Hospitality is a natural part of our culture.
It is exciting to me that we have that in our social DNA because we need new people who will be productive citizens in Bourbon County. Statistics show that Kansas is far less diverse than the rest of our Great Nation, and Bourbon County is even less so. We have some room to grow in this regard.
I am not advocating for open borders. Understanding who is entering a country is a critical part of any nation’s sovereignty; however, we need to take a strong look at altering our legal immigration system to attract more workers who lack economic opportunity where they currently live. Congress should put a program together to allow a greater number of potential immigrants to fill out the proper paperwork, undergo a background check, and wait (hopefully not too long) in line. This process needs to be as efficient as possible.
I know that some do not want any foreigners in their fields of vision. Many Americans opposed the influx of Irish, Germans, Scandinavians, Asians, etc., over the years. I wonder how the Protestant-dominated counties of Crawford and Cherokee reacted when the Italian Catholics migrated to Kansas to work in the mines. All of these waves of immigrants throughout our Nation’s history assimilated and prospered. We learned to live with them, and they with us.
Why is immigration critical for rural America? We need workers. Birth rates have fallen below replacement rates, and we are losing Baby Boomers rapidly. Our high school graduates are heading to colleges or jobs in big cities. Great jobs are going unfilled in Bourbon County.
Let’s see what we can do about supporting and welcoming newcomers and immigrants to our area. Let’s help them become part of our communities, teaching them our language, sharing our way of life, and learning about theirs. Let’s ensure that Bourbon County continues to thrive and, hopefully, grow again.
Obituary of Velma Stevens
Velma Jean (VJ) Stevens, 97, formerly of Prescott and most recently of Anamosa, Iowa, passed away peacefully on October 7, 2021, in Anamosa. She was born on April 2, 1924, in Stotesbury, Missouri. She lived in Prescott for much of her life but later moved to Rogers, Arkansas, Olathe, and Arlington, Texas. She was strong in faith throughout her life and was a faithful member of the local Catholic church in each community in which she lived. She married William P. Stevens, Jr. on April 20, 1943, and together, they celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary prior to his death in 2010.
VJ studied art with several notable professionals in the Kansas City area over a fifteen-year period and later taught art lessons in her home in Olathe for many years. She painted hundreds of works of art in oil, pastels, and graphite which were sold, gifted to friends and family, and donated to churches and other organizations. She especially enjoyed doing portraits and religious works of art.
She is survived by her daughter, Beverly Behgam and husband, Roger, of Arlington, Texas; daughter, Patty Himel and husband, A.J., of Round Rock, Texas; son, Paul Stevens and wife, Debbie, of Cascade, Iowa; and daughter, Mary Murray and husband, Ernie, of Leavenworth, Kansas; a sister, Elaine Coffin, of New Orleans, Louisiana; 8 grandchildren, and 7 great grandchildren.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Frank Orr Martin and Corda Walker Martin, along with six brothers and sisters.
Father Yancey Burgess will conduct the Funeral Mass at 10:00 a.m. Thursday, October 14, 2021, at the Mary Queen of Angels Catholic Church under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.
Burial will be in the Prescott Cemetery
. The family will receive friends Wednesday evening, October 13, 2021, 6-7:00 p.m. at Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall St., Fort Scott, Kansas.
Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.
Obituary of Patricia Belkham
Patricia Maley Belkham, 77, a resident of Valrico, Florida died September 29, 2021. She was born on January 23, 1944, in Sandusky, Ohio to Eileen Murphy.
Pat is survived by her husband of 31 years Ernie Belkham, three children, Michael Maley (Diane) El Cajon, CA, Marty Maley Spanaway, WA, Kevin Maley (Krista) Pittsboro, NC, and six grandchildren.
Pat was a medical assistant for over 20 years in Sunnyvale before retiring to Valrico, FL in 2013. She was an avid begonia grower, hybridizer, show judge, and illustrator for the America Begonia Society’s publication, “The Begonian”.
Following cremation, interment will take place at a later date in the Belkham plot of Oak Grove cemetery in Fort Scott, Kansas under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall St., Fort Scott, Kansas. Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.
Reaching Out to Community: Law Enforcement’s Faith and Blue Event This Weekend
At the Fort Scott High School Football Game and the Uniontown High School Volleyball Tournament this weekend, one might think there is a crime being investigated.
But that thinking would be wrong.
Both Fort Scott Police and the Bourbon County Sheriff Officers will be there to mingle with people to “meet the community and let the community know us,” said Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Chaplain Bob Jackson.
The events are part of an organization called Faith and Blue.
“Nation-wide, after the George Floyd deal, things started spiraling downhill for law enforcement,” said Jackson.
Last year following the civil unrest, an organization called Faith and Blue was started nationally.
The following is the organization’s purpose, according to its’ website: Faith & Blue: Partnering for stronger, safer communities (faithandblue.org)
“Communities are stronger and safer when residents and law enforcement professionals can relate as ordinary people with shared values, hopes, and dreams. The partners who are a part of National Faith & Blue Weekend believe we can find ways to work together around our many commonalities instead of being divided by our differences.”
The Faith and Blue weekend nationally is Oct. 8-11, according to Jackson.
The law enforcement officers will be at Frary Field this evening, Oct. 8, on the campus of Fort Scott High School starting about 5 p.m. to “pass out popcorn and give away tickets to the concession stand,” Jackson said.
Then on Saturday, the officers will be at West Bourbon Elementary School for the Uniontown High School Volleyball Tournament from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There, they will be giving away food too, with the help of local food truck (The Sunshine Shack) owners, Shayla and Kyle Knight.
“They are going to set it up inside the school cafeteria,” Jackson said.
The officers are hoping to get to know those they serve a little better in the mingling and also let the community get to know them.
He is hoping the event will be a positive one, he said.
“It will not be to hear complaints,” Jackson said. “But it’s to get to know you and you know us.”
The event is a collaboration of some local churches and the FSPD and the BCSO.
In Fort Scott, Community Christian Church, Fort Scott Church of the Nazarene, Trinity Lutheran and the Seventh Day Adventist Church have provided funds for the event.
In Uniontown, the Uniontown Missionary Baptist Church, along with the Bronson, Hiattville, and Uniontown United Methodist Churches have contributed to the event.
The FS Street Advisory Board Meets Oct. 14
The Street Advisory Board will meet on Thursday, October 14th, 2021 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.
