Area News

Drug Take-Back Day April 24

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Drug take-back day designed to counter pill abuse, environmental contamination 

[Bourbon County, Kansas] – Local agencies are partnering with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration April 24, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., for the 20th annual Drug Take Back Day. The event is designed to prevent pill abuse and environmental contamination by ridding homes of expired, unused and unwanted prescription drugs. 

 

Prescription drug abuse and disposal are both a public and environmental health threat. Improper disposal of medications via sewers or landfills leads to surface water contamination. Returning unused or unwanted medications to a pharmacy, or bringing them to a law enforcement agency are reliable methods for keeping these substances from entering the water supply.

 

Bourbon County residents are encouraged to bring unwanted drugs to these area locations for disposal:

 

Medicine Shoppe Pharmacy

421 W Main St, Chanute, KS 66720

 

Nevada Police Department

120 South Ash St., Nevada, MO  64772

 

Pittsburg Police Department

201 N. Pine St., Pittsburg, KS  66762

 

Sites cannot accept liquids, needles or sharps, only pills or patches. The service is free and anonymous with no questions asked. Collection sites will follow local COVID-19 guidelines and regulations.

 

With funding from the USDA, the K-State Pollution Prevention Institute (PPI) is offering education and outreach sessions to various communities in Kansas and Missouri with a focus on rural access to safe drug and sharps disposal. If your organization or community would like to learn more about safe disposal as a way to prevent drug abuse and keep toxic waste out of landfills, contact PPI by calling 800-578-8898.

 

For more information about proper disposal of prescription drugs or the Take Back Day event, visit www.sbeap.org/safe-disposal.

 

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Fort Scott, Government

FS Design Review Board Meets April 21

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The Design Review Board will meet on Wednesday, April 21st, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. in the City Hall Commission Meeting room at 123 S. Main Street, Fort Scott, Kansas. This meeting will be held to consider the signage on the north and south walls at the Unsung Heroes Park and any other matters that may come up before the Board.

This meeting will be made available via the City’s you tube channel at City of Fort Scott.

Fort Scott, Schools

Nine FSHS Debate and Forensics Team Members Qualify For Nationals

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Fort Scott High School Debate and Forensics team has been competing completely virtually all year.
Over the last few weeks students have been working to qualify to nationals through three district tournaments.
The last leg of this tournament was April 16-17.
The Talking Tigers have nine students who will be representing Fort Scott at Nationals in June.
Overall, Fort Scott placed 2nd in Congress sweeps and Speech Sweeps and 3rd in debate sweeps
 Several students qualified for nationals in multiple events but are only allowed to compete in one.
HERE IS THE FSHS NATIONAL QUALIFYING TEAM:
Congress House:

Neil Gugnani

and

Shekhar Gugnani
Congress Senate:

Lillian Collins
PFD: Thade Yates and Khris Patel
Informative 10:

Jadelynne Atherton-Russell
POI:

Kinsley Davis
HI:

Trent Toth

and Regen Wells

The entire Talking Tigers team has adjusted to every strange and different thing that has been thrown at them and this is the result of their hard work and dedication! They are a great representation of Fort Scott High School and we are extremely proud of them!
Submitted by
Angella Curran 

Fort Scott High School
Speech Communications
Debate/Forensics
Area News, Kansas

Kansas Youth Community Change Conference June 1-15

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Registration for the Kansas Youth Community Change Conference (KYC3) is now open! KYC3 is a FREE action-packed virtual event open to all middle and high school aged youth. Through youth-led interactive sessions and high energy activities, youth will expand their leadership skills, engage with other youth across the state, and take action to promote positive change in their schools and communities! Sessions will take place in the evening June 1st – 15th.

 

NEW THIS YEAR: There is a session for parents on June 9th at 8:00 PM. Parents must register in advance to attend the session!

 

To register, check out the prize packs, and view FAQs visit: https://www.dccca.org/events/2021-kyc3/

To view the agenda, visit: https://www.dccca.org/2021-kyc3-agenda/

To learn more about the youth planning team, check out: https://www.dccca.org/kyc3-youth-planning-team/

Government, Kansas

Kansas Governor Signs 10 Pieces of Legislation

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Governor Laura Kelly Signs Several Pieces of Bipartisan Legislation

TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly today signed several bipartisan bills that will implement meaningful changes for Kansans, communities, and businesses.

House Bill 2071

HB 2071, as amended, would amend the definition of the crime of stalking to include intentionally engaging in a course of conduct targeted at a specific child under the age of 14 that would cause a reasonable person in the circumstances of the targeted child, or a reasonable person in the circumstances of an immediate family member of such child, to fear for such child’s safety.

House Bill 2085

HB 2085 creates the Students’ Right to Know Act, which requires the Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) to ensure the distribution, electronic or otherwise, of certain information to all students in grades 7 through 12. Information to be distributed will include:

  • The State Board of Regents degree prospectus information;
  • The placement and salary report of the Kansas Training Information Program;
    and
  • Any other information relevant to students’ understanding of potential earnings as determined by the Department of Labor and each branch of the armed services of the U.S. military.

The bill also authorizes KSDE to enter into memorandums of understanding and other agreements with state agencies or other entities as needed to accomplish this task.

House Bill 2101

HB 2101 extends the current transfer of the first $10.5 million credited to the Expanded Lottery Act Revenues Fund (ELARF) from ELARF to the Kan-grow Engineering Fund – KU, the Kan-grow Engineering Fund – KSU, and the Kan-grow Engineering Fund – WSU with each fund receiving equal amounts of $3.5 million in each fiscal year, for FY 2023 through FY 2032. The transfer first occurred in FY 2013 and is currently scheduled to end with the transfer in FY 2022.

House Bill 2165

HB 2165, as amended, would amend the definition of an antique vehicle for purposes of vehicle registration.

House Bill 2167

HB 2167, as amended, would add two exceptions to law requiring a license plate to be attached to the rear of a motor vehicle. The bill would allow concrete mixer trucks the option to display a license plate on the front of the vehicle rather than on the rear of the vehicle and would require a dump truck with a gross weight of 26,000 pounds or more to display a license plate on the front of the vehicle. The requirement for a dump truck to display a license plate on the front of the vehicle would not apply to a vehicle registered as a farm truck.

House Bill 2245

HB 2245, as amended, would add law authorizing the Division of Vehicles (Division), Department of Revenue, to collect emergency contact information and would provide for the use of such information by law enforcement agencies.

House Bill 2247

HB 2247, as amended, would designate portions of highway in Johnson, Marshall, and Norton counties as memorial highways and would designate certain bridges in Cowley, Riley, and Seward counties as memorial bridges.

House Bill 2379

HB 2379 enacts the Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Vehicle Sharing Program Act.

Senate Bill 16

SB 16 would amend statutes to remove requirements that the following reports and certifications be provided to the Legislative Division of Post Audit (LPA), the Post Auditor, or the Legislative Post Audit Committee.

Senate Bill 89

SB 89, as amended, would amend law on securing loads on vehicles to create an exemption for trucks, trailers, or semitrailers when hauling agricultural forage commodities intrastate from the place of production to a market or place of storage or from a place of storage to a place of use. The bill would state this exemption would not apply to trucks, trailers, or semitrailers hauling hay bales or other packaged or bundled forage commodities. Continuing law requires securing a load on a vehicle so as to prevent any of this load from dropping, sifting, leaking, or otherwise escaping.

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Opinion

Granny Gear will Persevere by Carolyn Tucker

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Carolyn Tucker. Submitted photo.

Keys to the Kingdom – Carolyn Tucker

 

My husband Jimmy and his two older brothers learned to haul hay when they were kids. This is one of the hardest jobs because it’s always miserably hot and the work is relentless. As with everything, there’s a fine art to being a real hay hauler. Not just anybody off the city sidewalk can do it — but a country boy can git ‘er done. The first year we were married, Jimmy and his friend Dave teamed up to haul hundreds of square hay bales for an area farmer. I got the easy job of driving the 1948 Chevy one-ton flatbed. All I had to do was hold ‘er in a smooth granny gear while the guys worked their sweaty precision with hay hooks, great balance, and combined coordination. Those boys had the muscles, technique, and perseverance to get the job done and deliver on their promise.

Persevere means to persist in, or remain constant, to a purpose or task in the face of difficulties. It means to follow through to the end, to stand firm, never give up, and be determined to finish. Where I come from, persevere means to carry on, keep at it, press on, hammer away, stick with it, hang on like a Bulldog and finish what you start.

There’s a fine art to being a genuine Christian. Every born-again believer can do it, but not everyone wants to live a lifestyle of unswerving commitment. Any numbskull can “lay down in the hayfield” and give up. Believers must make a lifetime decision to persevere in their walk of obedience with God. As God’s children, we ought to be strong in character and represent our Father excellently. When King David was instructing Solomon on building the temple, he told him to be courageous and get to work. Don’t be fearful of the task, for God will see to it that everything is finished correctly.

Jimmy and Dave wouldn’t have hauled the hay at no charge. They were expecting payment for their efforts, and the farmer was expecting his field to be stripped clean. The scripture states that God rewards His children when they make an effort to truly know Him. “And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6 NLT).

One of the best biblical examples of perseverance is Noah. He found favor with the Lord because he was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth, and he walked in close fellowship with God. When God told Noah to build an ark, it took him 100 years to finish it! Because Noah didn’t stop hammering away, he and his family were saved from the flood. God rewarded that family of eight with the gift of life.

“The end of a thing is better than its beginning; the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit” (Ecclesiastes 7:8 NKJV). It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. It wasn’t how many bales were in the field at the beginning, it’s how many were in the barn at the end. Christians are in a race to win the heavenly prize. But you’ve got to pace yourself so you can endure and make it across the finish line. It’s like living your life in granny gear — just keep it steady and don’t quit. Quitters never win and winners never quit. Believe it or not, granny gear will get you across the Jordan River and through the Pearly Gates.

The Key: Persevere, keep it in granny gear, and God will help you be a winner.

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Why is Bourbon County/Fort Scott Shrinking? By Greg Motley

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Greg Motley. President of the Bourbon County Economic Development Council. Submitted photo.

 

Submitted by Gregg Motley, President of BEDCO

My wife and I have lived in Fort Scott these past six years, and love it here as it reminds us of the towns in which we grew up. We just agreed to purchase our retirement home out in the county. There is much to love! So why is it shrinking? Let me postulate ten primary reasons from my research over the years:

1. Rapid industrialization during and after WWII

Small town America led the growth of this county until 1941 when we ramped up the war effort. Factories were built in large cities near a concentration of the supply of labor, and urbanism began.

2. Change in tax policies to promote manufacturing

With the need to build our war machine came tax incentives from Washington in the form of tax credits and accelerated depreciation to benefit primarily these large city manufacturers; this began the great tax transfer from small-town earners to large city companies.

3. Agricultural efficiencies and the drop of ag employment

Most of us are aware that it takes far fewer agricultural workers to produce a crop and manage a herd. Ag employment per acre has dropped precipitously over the last 75 years.

4. Rapid transportation: planes, trains, and automobiles

Our mobile society makes it much easier for our young people to seek employment in faraway places, primarily big cities near transportation centers.

5. Global competition created the need for economy of scale

Due to technology, the world is much smaller now, making it easier for companies to go nationwide/global. To create efficiencies, industries have consolidated, as evidenced by the over 15,000 banks 40 years ago, condensed to 4,519 at yearend 2020.

6. Increase in regulation

New government regulations, such as the Patriot Act, have dramatically increased the cost of doing business, crowding out mom and pop companies in small towns.

7. Advent of “Big Box” retailers

One word: Wal-Mart. Need I say more?

8. Access to technology/online shopping

The Internet has revolutionized the world, and retail has paid the price. This has disproportionately impacted small-town America.

9. Loss of desire for community

We are devolving from a relationship culture to an entertainment culture. Give me experiences! There is nothing to do here! We are becoming human doings, instead of human beings.

10. Entertainment culture

Building on number 9, who are our highest paid citizens? It is those who entertain us, who seldom live in small towns. In a capitalist society, money flows toward what we value.

There are many more, but these are megatrends that have strangled small towns, through no fault of their own. Other than the energy sector areas, the trends are impacting small towns universally and disproportionally. What can we do about it? A topic for the next article.

 

 

K-State Extension

Spring Livestock Shows: Quality Time With Family

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Dale Lanham. Submitted photo.

Spring has finally arrived and it is time for the many spring livestock shows.

The comment I hear many times that it sure takes a lot of time and money to participate in the various shows.

But the quality time spent with your family working together taking care of their livestock projects is definitely well worth the expense and time involved.

To be successful in most endeavors takes a lot of time and practice to succeed. If your 4-Her or FFA member wants to be the winner in their showmanship contest at their county fair, then they need to exhibit at some of the local spring shows.

The experience gained for both the youth showing and the animals being shown can not be duplicated by working their animals at
home.

Nothing compares to the actual show ring experience.

The 45th annual Woodson County Spring Beef Show will be April 24, 2021, at the fairgrounds in Yates Center. This is one of the longest-running spring shows that is designed for the younger or less experienced show person. But will still be beneficial for all showman.

Success sometimes can just be getting your animal into the show ring and having it under control so that it doesn’t get away from the showman.

Small accomplishments lead up to bigger and better successes.

At the Woodson County shows, no money is given out but if you get lucky you may get to take a trophy or plaque home.

The sheep and goat show are also in the afternoon on April 24th. If you want to, you can show beef in Yates Center in the morning and show your beef in Burlington (20 miles) in the afternoon.

Sheep and goat exhibitors could also show their animals in Burlington in the morning and make the Yates Center show in the afternoon.

For more information about Woodson County Spring Shows or other area shows, contact your local Southwind Extension Staff or email me at the Yates Center office: [email protected].

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Features of Friendship

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Barbara Stockebrand. K-State Extension Agent. Submitted photo.

Barbara Stockebrand

Southwind Extension District –Yates Center

Family and Consumer Sciences

 

Many older adults are beginning to venture out of their safe havens with feelings of relief and caution as more are becoming fully vaccinated against Covid-19. There is excitement among them to be resuming more regular activities that the virus so abruptly put on hold.

Scheduling medical appointments that were delayed and planning trips that were all put on the back burner are goals again. Many may be planning to see children and grandchildren they may not have seen for months – or longer. Others are planning outings with friends for the first time in a long time. Simple things that previously felt unsafe now feel possible.

Regardless of our age, we all benefit from having those in our lives we call friends. The importance of relationships with friends and the value of being connected to others cannot be overstated. As said by Thomas Aquinas, “There is nothing on this earth more to be prized than true friendship.”

Meaningful friendships have meaningful results. They produce mutual respect, trust, support, acceptance, joy, empathy, and love to name a few elements of friendship. A good friend won’t hesitate from telling you the truth, even if it is something you may not want to hear.

Friendships are good for our health. Healthy friendships can boost our physical and emotional health in several ways:

Personal improvement – If we want to make a positive change in our life, such as quit smoking, a friend’s support can make all the difference. He/she is usually right there with us encouraging us, boosting our self-confidence. Our chances of reaching our goals increase.

Knowing that others care – and that we care for them, increases feelings of compassion, self-worth, and security.

Support in life’s challenges – It might be retirement, death of a loved one or another difficult life event, research has found that having friends in our corner increases our ability to manage, persevere, and recover.

According to a 2017 Michigan State University study, it was found that friends begin to have a bigger impact on our well-being than family members as we grow old. This gives credence to the need to pay attention to our friends all along life’s journey in order to be there for each other during major transitions. Friendship is a lifelong endeavor.

 

We still should proceed with caution as we start mingling. Some of our friends and neighbors may not be fully vaccinated or they may desire not to do so for their own reasons. As goes with being friends, we need to be respectful of each other’s position and health needs to continue cultivating those friendships.

K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Fort Scott Community College

FSCC Board of Trustees Will Meet April 19

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The Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees will meet Monday, April 19 at 5:30 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Cleaver-Burris-Boileau Hall on the campus.

 

Normally, the agenda with the minutes are emailed to be posted for the public, however this month the entire agenda will be listed on the Fort Scott Community College on the Board of Trustees page on the college’s website.

 

“I am not able to email the whole document because of the file size,” Juley McDaniels, FSCC Human Resource Director said. “We have a Request For Proposal, so the bids have really increased the size of the whole file.  The agenda in its entirety will be listed on our Board of Trustees page on the website.  In the meantime, here is what will be covered.”

 

Items to be discussed:

  1. Approval of heating/air conditioner service provider
  2. Consideration of land transfer to Mary Queen of Angels Church
  3. Consideration of fine arts center audio/visual refresh bids

 

 

Bourbon County Local News