The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Jan. 21
Kansas COVID-19 Phase 2 To Begin
Governor Laura Kelly Announces Kansas Moves to Phase 2 of COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution
TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly will announce tomorrow the statewide move to Phase 2 of Kansas’ COVID-19 vaccination plan. With this move, all those aged 65+, those in eligible congregate settings, and all high-contact critical workers will now be prioritized for vaccination, in addition to any one from Phase 1 who has not yet been vaccinated.
“After moving quickly to vaccinate close to 130,000 frontline health care workers and Kansas seniors, my administration has worked with local health departments and providers to prepare to move Kansas into Phase 2,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “While it’s important to remember that the rate of vaccinations will be dependent on the amount we receive from the federal government, we use every tool available to make vaccine delivery transparent, efficient, and fast in order to reach as many Kansans as possible.”
Approximately 1 million Kansans are in Phase 2 but the next weekly supply of vaccine from the federal government contains approximately 45,000 new first doses so not everyone in Phase 2 will be able to receive their vaccine immediately. Each county, through local health departments, will decide how their limited supply of the doses will be allocated by population groups.
Critically, to drive transparency, a vaccine dashboard is available that includes key metrics that will be updated three times a week. In addition to the dashboard, in the coming weeks, the State of Kansas will launch a “Find my Vaccine” mapping tool, so Kansans can locate sites that are offering vaccine administration in their communities.
Governor Kelly and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) ask for your patience while federal supply remains low and for those in prioritized populations to contact their local health departments to learn more about when they will begin to inoculate Phase 2 populations and how they will prioritize within that group or anyone remaining in Phase 1 who has not received the vaccine.
To assist vaccine distribution efforts, Governor Kelly also announced today the appointment of Marci Nielsen, PhD, MPH to Chief Advisor for COVID-19 Coordination and Seth Konkel to the role of Special Advisor for COVID-19 Vaccination.
“With significant experience in public health and operations between them, Marci and Seth will be valuable sources of support to my team and the team at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment as vaccine supply increases,” Governor Kelly said. “I am pleased to have them on board.”
Additional information
Phase 2 Guidelines:
- Persons aged 65 and older
- High-contact critical workers necessary to maintain systems, assets, and activities that are vital to the state security, the economy or public health, or who interact with large numbers of contacts and job-related COVID-19 exposure. COVID-19 risk is associated with the likelihood of infecting oneself or spreading the virus. Factors that increase risk include proximity, type of contact, duration of contacts and challenges to implement protective measures. This includes:
o Firefighters, police officers, first responders, and correction officers
o Grocery store workers and food services
o K-12 and childcare workers, including teachers, custodians, drivers, &
other staff
o Food processing, including meat processing plants
o Large-scale aviation manufacturing plants
o Transportation workers
o Workers in retail, agriculture, supply of critical services or materials for COVID-19 response, the U.S. Postal Service, and Department of motor vehicles - Those living or working in licensed congregate settings and other special care or congregate environments where social distancing is not possible, including:
o Homeless shelters
o Congregate childcare institutions
o Emergency shelters or safe houses
o Corrections facilities
o Behavioral health institutions
View a visual representation of the distribution order here.
View informational slides regarding vaccine distribution here.
New Museum Display For Unsung Hero Pavel Weiner at LMC
The Rubin* and Gloria Feldman Family Educational Institute of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum recently awarded $2,350.00 to the Life in a Jar Foundation and Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes. The monies will support a museum display for “Unsung Hero Pavel Weiner and the student project “Writing to Resist.” Ronda Hassig serves as project director.
Norm Conard, Executive Director of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, explained “Pavel Weiner was a teenager that showed immense courage while imprisoned by the Nazis at the Terezin concentration camp. He is a role model for all young people to use whatever means necessary to resist tyranny, even something as simple as a pencil and your diary. During this pandemic his story is even more important!”
About the Institute and Holocaust museum
The Rubin* and Gloria Feldman Family Educational Institute of the St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum works to empower every person to stand up to hate, bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, and injustice in their everyday lives. The St. Louis Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum honors the family of local St. Louis survivors Gloria Kaplan Feldman and her brother David Kaplan. The museum recently broke ground for a new $21 million expansion to the museum!
About the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes
The Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes works to transform classrooms and communities through student-driven projects that discover Unsung Heroes from history and teach the power of one to create positive change. Everyone, especially our young people deserve role models who demonstrate courage, compassion and respect. Pavel Weiner is just such a hero!
*of Blessed Memory
Kansas COVID 19 Vaccine Dashboard
Governor Kelly Announces Kansas COVID-19 Vaccine Dashboard
TOPEKA – Today, Governor Laura Kelly is announcing a new COVID-19 vaccine dashboard in Kansas. A collaboration with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, the COVID-19 dashboard will be updated Monday, Wednesday and Friday by 12:30 PM.
As of January 20, Kansas has:
- Vaccinated 111,905 people,
- Administered 129,349 total vaccine doses,
- Distributed 202,225 vaccine doses.
To view the COVID-19 vaccination dashboard, click here.
Senator Marshall Statement on President Biden’s Inaugural Address
Today, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. issued the following statement regarding President Joe Biden’s inaugural address. The Senator attended the Inauguration with his wife Laina.
“Today, my wife Laina and I joined all Americans to witness the Constitutional transition of power to President Joe Biden,” said Senator Marshall. “It is important that both sides of the political spectrum continue to lower the national temperature and recognize opportunities for common good. I have hope that we can work with the new Administration on behalf of Kansas as we tackle extremely pressing issues facing our nation including: getting the COVID-19 vaccine into the arms of everyone who wants and needs it, boosting job recovery, and opening businesses and our economy back up to the historic levels we saw before the pandemic.”
Rennet Studio Converted To Office Spaces
Diane and Dean Striler recently purchased the Rennet Studio building, 6 N. Main, which includes the loft above.
The building is located between Fort Scott Family Dental and Papa Don’s Restaurant.
They have begun renovating the building for three office spaces.
“We started looking for a downtown building in November and closed the purchase on December 3,” she said.
“The main reason for this purchase is that Dean and I have wanted to invest in the Fort Scott community,” Diane said. “After purchasing our home at Fort Scott Lake in July of 2014, we had often discussed the idea of ending up in Fort Scott as our full-time home.”
“We are living full-time in Fort Scott but still have a home in Lenexa,” she said.
“We feel that there is a lot of potential in the downtown area and see how it is expanding and growing,” she said. “We enjoy the history of the town, the people we have met, and love the quaint atmosphere of the community. We feel that purchasing the Rennet Studio would be a great way to start investing in the community.”
After the Striler’s decided to invest in a downtown building, they looked at a few and then placed an offer on the Rennet Studio, she said.
“Although the main floor of the building had not been occupied for quite a while, we were impressed that the building was in such great shape,” Diane said. “Obviously the owners of the building, the Barnett family, had taken great care of it.”
“It also has a full finished basement that is lined with cinder blocks, had extra cement poured, and has a vinyl floor,” she said. ” We were also very excited about the loft apartment above the retail area. This part of the building really appealed to us because of the tall ceilings, old woodwork, and transom windows above the tall doors.”
After purchase, they started working on some exterior repairs to the building.
“We started with getting the front brick power washed,” Diane said. “It was amazing to see the difference in the before and after pictures. The brick on the upper portion of the building had an orange tint to it and now is redder and much brighter. We are waiting to also have some tuck work done to the brick on the upper portion.”
” We have picked out some new paint colors for the front of the building and have submitted them for approval from the City Historic Design Board,” she said. “Last week we had a new roof put on the back portion of the building. That was badly needed and we are happy to have that done.”
New Tenet Ready To Move In
The main front area of the building will be leased to the Fort Scott Tribune Newspaper, currently at 22 N. Main.
“We have been working with them to update the area they will be in,” she said. “Everything is being painted, we’ve had some trim work to do, and new flooring is being put in. The paper is working on the transition and would like to be up and running in our building by the beginning of February. ”
Additional Office Spaces
“My husband, Dean, will also have an office in the rear of the main floor,” she said. “We were able to close off a wall so that he has a separate entrance to his office.”
“Dean is the Senior Vice President of Sales for Zephyr Ventilation, she said. “The company manufactures residential hoods to go over cooking appliances along with beverage units and wine storage units.”
“We have an additional 700 square feet of commercial/office space that we have available to rent out that will include a break room and restroom,” Diane said.
“Once we complete updating the main level, Dean and I will start working on the apartment loft above,” she said. “We are planning to keep as much of the original woodworking as possible and are going to try to refinish the original hardwood floors.”
Seller’s Market
Diane is a realtor for Front Door Real Estate, with Jared Leek as the broker.
It is a seller’s market, she said.
” I am finding that with the current conditions, I am receiving calls from all over,” she said. “People from other states are wanting to come back to the Midwest for a calmer way of life and are enquiring about the properties that I have listed.”
“Housing is one thing that Fort Scott definitely could use more of, and there is a shortage of what is for sale,” she said.
” As a result, I am trying to find additional properties that are not being occupied, and could be put to good use for a family in need,” she said. “If anyone knows of any properties like this, I would greatly appreciate it if you would reach out to me.”
Diane Striler’s contact: 620-878-3630 or
248-568-7790
Ribbon Cutting, Chamber Coffee Jan. 21 at Star Emporium
Chamber Coffee & Ribbon Cutting Announced for the Star Emporium Downtown General Store
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites members and guests to a Chamber Coffee and Ribbon Cutting ceremony this Thursday, January 21st at 8 a.m. to celebrate the grand opening of the Star Emporium General Store, 17 S. Main St. Coffee, juice and light refreshments will be served.
Star Emporium is a unique grocery store offering specialty and private label products in addition to staple foods and household necessities. The store also features meat, produce, ice cream and other items made locally or within the region and offers a salad bar and deli with limited seating to dine-in or carry-out.
Business owner Bill Michaud of BAJA Investments and team are excited to provide this service to the Downtown Historic District and the community. Through an agreement with Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, the store will soon provide food storage space and delivery programs to address food insecurities.
Contact the Chamber of Commerce at (620) 223-3566 for more information.
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The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Jan.20
The Fort Scott Police Department Daily Reports Jan. 17-19
Evergy’s Sustainability Transformation Plan: How It Will Affect Rates
KCC will hold virtual workshop on Wednesday to discuss Evergy’s STP
What: The Kansas Corporation Commission will be conducting the third of four virtual workshops designed to learn more about Evergy’s Sustainability Transformation Plan and how it will affect ratepayers.
When: Wednesday, January 20, 2021 at 10 a.m.
Where: The workshop will be broadcast on the KCC’s YouTube Channel.
Details: Each workshop will cover a specific topic related to the plan. The subject of Wednesday’s workshop is Enhanced Customer Experience. Evergy representatives will make a presentation followed by questions from Commissioners and intervenors in the general investigation docket. The Commission opened the investigation to evaluate whether the STP is in the public interest.
The general investigation docket is available on the KCC’s website at:
Food Safety Webinar Offered
KDA Offers Food Safety Webinar Series in 2021
MANHATTAN, Kansas — The Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety and lodging program will offer monthly online webinars on food safety issues beginning Monday, January 25, 2021. The free webinar series will cover a variety of food safety issues that are of interest to food business operators, managers and workers.
Each 30-minute webinar will consist of a presentation by food safety and lodging inspectors from across the state, followed by an opportunity for participants to ask questions of the presenters and other KDA-FSL staff. These webinars are an outreach of the Food Protection Task Force, which serves to expand the knowledge base of the food and feed industry in Kansas. The FPTF creates connections and relationships which foster collaboration when developing materials and strategies for intervention, prevention and response to foodborne illness.
The first six months of the webinar series have been scheduled. Each presentation will take place at 3:00 p.m. CST.
January 25 Remote Food Safety Inspections During COVID-19
February 22 Choosing the Right Practice: Cooling and Reheating of Foods
March 29 Food Safety on the Go: Food Trucks, Trailers, Tents and Carts
April 26 Staying Ahead of the Game: What Food Service Managers Need to Know
May 24 Dealing With Pests in a Food Establishment
June 28 Limiting the Spread of Germs: How Employees Can Make a Difference
Registration for the January and February online webinars is now open. Register on the KDA Food Protection Task Force page at www.agriculture.ks.gov/FPTF. There is no cost to participate, but you must register to receive the login access information.
For more information about the webinar series or about food safety in Kansas, contact the KDA food safety and lodging program at 785-564-6767 or [email protected].
This webinar series serves to support KDA’s mission, which includes a commitment to providing an environment that enhances and encourages economic growth and helping to ensure a safe food supply, promoting public health and safety, and providing consumer protection.
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