The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports Dec. 28
FS City Offices Closed Jan. 1
The City of Fort Scott Administrative offices will be closed on Friday, January 1st, 2021 in observance of the New Year’s Day Holiday. The regular offices will reopen on Monday, January 4th, 2021.
The City’s tree and brush dump site located on North Hill will also be closed on Thursday, December 31st, 2020, and Saturday, January 2nd, 2021 for the New Year’s holiday. It will be open again on Tuesday, January 5th, 2021 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
The Light of the World Is Jesus
Keys to the Kingdom – Carolyn Tucker
The Light of the World is Jesus
I appreciate and enjoy the annual Christmas light-and-music show on Margrave. The beautiful lights remind me of the star that shone above the stable where the Light of the World was born. Mary and Joseph saw, with their own eyes, the message from the angels come alive. The Messiah had come at last, but what a strange way for a King to be born! It makes sense that the first visitors at the manger were shepherds. For they were instructed by an angel to leave their flocks of sheep and go to Bethlehem to see the newborn Lamb of God. “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11 NKJV).
Our heavenly Father loved the world so deeply that He sent His one and only Son as a baby to die for the sins of the whole world. The good news of great joy was for all people. The everlasting Light of Jesus is still shining in the dark streets of 2020. Jesus came as the Living Word to redeem and set everyone free from the harsh grip of sin. Jesus said, “I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness” (John 12:46 NKJV). The blessed Redeemer wants the world to believe in Him and receive eternal life in Him.
God dearly loves people and He didn’t want anyone living in the dark with no hope. He designed a divine and perfect plan of redemption. “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine” (Isaiah 9:2 NLT). The Light that would shine would be God’s anointed King. God’s answer to an arrogant and lost world was a little baby. This Wonderful Mediator lit up the world with peace and goodwill to all men. And as the mighty Lion of Judah, He turned the world upside-down and set it on fire.
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow Me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life” (John 8:12 NLT). From my childhood, I remember singing the hymn, “The Light of the World is Jesus.” Philip P. Bliss penned these sobering lyrics: “The whole world was lost in the darkness of sin. The Light of the world is Jesus. Once I was blind, but now I can see. The Light of the world is Jesus.”
As we celebrate the Prince of Peace, the Christian carols we sing are biblical doctrine in poetic verse set to music. Our Christmas hymns present the truths of the virgin birth, Christ’s deity, salvation, and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit in believers.
The Lamb of God was the only perfect sacrifice for our sins. John the Baptist confirmed who Jesus was: “The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29 NLT). In the last book of the Bible, The bright Morning Star is still shining His powerful Light. “The city [heaven] had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light” (Revelation 21:23 NKJV).
The Key: Jesus is the Light of the world, and He always will be.
The Fort Scott Police Department Daily Reports Dec. 23
What does the Bible say about wearing a mask?
Submitted by Pastor Kevin Moyers, Rinehart Christian Church
Mask wearing in 2020 has been quite a topic of discussion. President-elect Joe Biden says “Wear a mask.” Dr. Anthony Fauci says, “Wear a mask.” Did you know that the Bible addresses the subject of mask-wearing?
You might be interested in knowing that Jesus condemned the Pharisees for wearing a mask.
Now before anyone gets all “up in the air” about what I just said, maybe you should keep on reading this article. Please don’t go away and tell folks the preacher at Rinehart is saying something that I’m really not saying at all.
Fifteen times in the book of Matthew Jesus addresses the subject of “mask-wearing.” He addressed it once in Mark’s gospel, and four times in Luke’s gospel. Add all that up and you have 20 scripture references that address mask-wearing, and everyone of them is cautioning us against wearing a mask.
Did you know the word “hypocrite” in the NT means “stage-actor?” Let me quote to you from Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Greek Words as it defines the word “hypocrite”: “Pretender; it was a custom for Greek and Roman actors to speak in large masks with mechanical devices for augmenting the force of the voice.” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance defines “hypocrite” this way: “an actor; stage-player; pretender; a dissembler.”
Jesus took this word from the Greek and Roman theater and used it in such a way that people understood perfectly what He was getting at. A hypocrite was someone pretending to be what they were not. They were “stage-acting” in a spiritual sense. In the case of the Pharisees, they were portraying themselves as spiritual-minded men, when really they were not spiritual at all. They were just putting on a show. They sounded spiritual on the outside, and maybe they “dressed like they were spiritual,” but in reality, they were not spiritual at all. They were wearing a mask.
Jesus had strong words of condemnation for those who were hypocritical “mask-wearers.” Check out some of these scriptures: Matthew 6:;2,5,16; 7:5; 22:18; 23:15,23,25,27,29; 24:51; Mark 7:6; Luke 12:56; 13:15. It appears that those who act like they’re a Christian, but really they are not, are in for a terrible awakening.
Jesus wants us to be sincere in our faith, and real. He wants us to be true. Don’t be that person who is a “Sunday Christian,” but has nothing to do with Him through the week. Don’t be that person who sings praises on Sunday morning and curses your neighbor on Tuesday evening. “My brethren, these things ought not to be this way” (James 3:10).
May we all take off the masks and be what He wants us to be.
Now the other masks that you see people wearing in 2020 to protect them from the coronavirus, feel free to wear them if you want.
Inheritance By Patty LaRoche
(Thank you, Jim, for the following email.)
A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art, including paintings from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire their collection. When the Vietnam-conflict broke out, the son went to war. He courageously died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, “Sir, you don’t know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day and was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart. He died instantly. He often talked about you and your love for art.” The young man held out this package. “I know this isn’t much. I’m not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this.”
The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father’s eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. “Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It’s a gift.”
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home, he took them to see the portrait of his son before showing them any of the other collected works.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited to purchase one of the paintings. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. “We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?” There was silence…
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, “We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one” But the auctioneer persisted. “Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200.”
Another voice cried angrily. “We didn’t come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh’s, the Rembrandts. Get on with the Real bids!”
But still the auctioneer continued. “The son! The son! Who’ll take the son?” Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. “I’ll give $10 for the painting.” Being a poor man, it was all he could afford.
“We have $10, who will bid $20?”
“Give it to him for $10. Let’s see the masters.” The crowd was becoming angry. They didn’t want the son’s picture. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. “Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!”
A man sitting on the second row shouted, “Now let’s get on with the collection!”
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. “I’m sorry, the auction is over.”
“What about the paintings?”
“I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will… Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings.”
God gave His son over 2,000 years ago to die on the Cross. Much like the auctioneer, His message today is “The Son, the Son, who’ll take the Son?”
Because, you see, whoever takes the Son gets everything!
FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHALL NOT PERISH BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. John 3:16
Fort Scott Healthcare Workers Receive First COVID-19 Vaccine
Kyla Probasco RN, CHC/SEK Fort Scott administers a dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine to Kristen McCoy RN. The clinic began vaccinating its staff against the virus on Wednesday, after receiving its first allocation of Moderna vaccine.
On Wednesday, Dec. 23, CHC/SEK Fort Scott received its first allocation of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine and vaccinated 20 of its staff against the virus. Next week, per the state vaccination plan, CHC/SEK will begin vaccinating additional healthcare workers in our communities. At the same time, Walgreens and CVS Pharmacies have begun vaccinating residents in nursing homes and senior living facilities.
The Moderna supply is being distributed to local health departments and federally qualified health centers across the state who will vaccinate healthcare workers. The initial vaccine distribution is geared towards healthcare providers and long-term care residents, in line with the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations. Distribution among these groups is expected to continue through January.
Kansas received its first shipment of Pfizer vaccines for hospital workers on December 14-15. This week, Pfizer doses were given to participating long-term care facility residents and staff through CVS and Walgreens pharmacies, who are tasked with delivering COVID-19 vaccine to these populations. The coordination of vaccination activities will occur directly between CVS/Walgreens and those facilities participating in the program.
KDHE is disseminating weekly updates on vaccine developments on their website.
CHC/SEK has planned for, trained, and is looking forward to the day we can begin offering vaccines to the public in the coming year. As soon as we know when public vaccine is on the way, we will keep you informed through your CHC/SEK Patient Portal, the clinic’s social media platforms, and your local news outlets.
Obituary of Varrell Leroy Forgey
Varrell Leroy Forgey, Jr. 91, of Fort Scott, passed away Thursday, December 24, 2020, at the Presbyterian Village in Fort Scott. He was born October 11, 1929, in Sheldon, Missouri, the son of Varrell Leroy and Rose Ruth (Brown) Forgey. He married Shirley Louise White on December 30, 1950, in Benton, Arkansas, she preceded him in death on January 18, 2019.
He is survived by a daughter, Melinda Kay Sedelmeyer, and husband, Rob of Medina, Ohio, and a son, Virgil Bradley Forgey of Payson, Arizona, a sister, Ruth Arlene Eubank of Peoria, Arizona, 3 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Shirley.
The family suggests memorials to the First United Methodist Church, donations may be sent to, or left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, P.O. Box 309, 15 W. Wall St., Fort Scott, Kansas 66701.
Rev. Steve Cole will conduct private graveside services at the Fort Scott National Cemetery Thursday, December 31, 2020.
The family suggests memorials to the First United Methodist Church, donations may be sent to, or left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, P.O. Box 309, 15 W. Wall St., Fort Scott, Kansas 66701.
Condolences may be submitted to the online guestbook at konantz-cheney.com.
SPARK Recipients Working To Complete Spending
The SPARK recipients are working to complete COVID-19 related projects by the end of 2020, as required by the grant program.
SPARK is responsible for the statewide distribution of the U.S. Coronavirus Relief Fund.
The total amount of grants disbursed in Bourbon County to over 100 entities was $2,835,212.86 on October 21, 2020, according to Bourbon County Economic Director Jody Hoener.
To see the list of recipients:
https://fortscott.biz/news/spark-projects-in-bourbon-county
The Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) taskforce is leading the state through recovery from the far-reaching effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic, according to its’ website. https://covid.ks.gov/spark-recovery-office/
“Congress recently passed the new COVID bill that gave an extension to states and cities on spending this money for a year,” said Jody Hoener, the Bourbon County Economic Development Director. “The State of Kansas Recovery Office indicated there will be an extension on our spending plans, but unknown at this time how much of an extension we will receive.”
Locally, SPARK recipients have been balancing and reconciling expenses.
“At the county level we gathered the department heads who have been awarded funds for programs,” Hoener said. ” We went through every single dollar amount from the department and made sure it matched exactly what the County Clerks Office cut for a check and what Greenbush have in their reports. Any errors are caught and quickly corrected. From there, we subtract the total amount spent from the total amount allocated and have a final amount left to spend.”
The other recipients are also required to submit receipts and invoices of SPARK money, she said.
“For the community’s grant/award expenses( they) need to submit receipts and invoices to show dollars spent,” she said. “Greenbush is going through every single receipt and invoice with a fine-tooth comb. It is very time-consuming as you can imagine. From this, we have a very clear understanding of the amount spent and how much is left to be spent.”
The Southeast Kansas Educational Service Center (also known as Greenbush) was hired by the county commission to administer the SPARK distribution and oversight.
“Greenbush was contracted to administer the county SPARK funds,” Hoener said.
Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Dec. 18 Special Meeting
December 18, 2020 Friday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with Lynne present and Jeff and Clifton present by telephone. The County Counselor and the County Clerk were also present.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 30 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy (the Commissioners plan to discuss two non-elected individuals), the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the 3 Commissioners). No action was taken.
Lynne made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks).
At 9:48, Clifton made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
December 22, 2020, Approved Date
Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Dec. 15
December 15, 2020 Tuesday 9:00 am
The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Clerk and the County Counselor present.
Also present were the following: (some were present for a portion of the meeting, some were present for the entire meeting), Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune, Mr. & Mrs. Clinton Walker, Anne Dare and Michael Hoyt.
Eric Bailey and Dustin Hall with Road & Bridge met with the Commissioners; they are putting brine on some of the roads and hills today due to the anticipated weather coming.
Eric said he had a good meeting (regarding clean up and the roads) with the contractor installing fiber on the south side of 54 Highway.
Eric said some of their employees are getting updated CPR and 1st aid training for their MSHAW qualifications.
Eric said they needed to update the board members for the 5 year solid waste plan; Jeff made a motion to appoint Lynne Oharah, Clifton Beth, Jim Harris, Eric Bailey and Frank Young as the solid waste management committee, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Eric said they applied and should receive a grant from KCAMP for the purchase of a tarp for a hauling truck.
Eric said the hydraulic pumps are overheating on the dump trucks, he said they are taking a truck to Joplin for the installation of a new pump to test to see if this repairs the issue.
Eric said they are repairing a spindle on a tire on a grader.
Eric and Dustin discussed the motor on the rock crusher; they contacted Foley, Inland, Larry’s Diesel and CAT in Joplin for a quote, to date they have received a quote from Foley for $36,000 to replace the motor with a re-manned motor. They have contacted Murphy Tractor to discuss the cost of repairs vs. the trade in value of the crusher, (they don’t want to spend more in repairs then the crusher is worth), to discuss a possible crusher demonstration or to possibly rent a crusher.
Gregory Vahrenberg with Raymond James (on the telephone) met with the Commissioners to discuss the possible bond refinancing. Mr. Vahrenberg said with the current low interest rates it is a good opportunity to refinance the 2015 general obligation bonds, he said refinancing the years 2024-2035 can produce savings. He said the cost to refinance would be paid out of the proceeds. He said the current average interest rate is 3.23% and the estimated refinanced rate is 2.03% and if refinance could produce approximately $251,941 in savings. Lynne asked if they reviewed savings for refinancing other bonds, Mr. Vahrenberg said only refinancing the 2015 bonds produced savings; he hadn’t reviewed the sewer district bonds, but said he would. The approximate cost to refinance is 2% of the principal amount of the bonds. After discussion, Clifton made a motion to start the process to refinance the 2015 bond, Jeff seconded and all approved. If the County later decides to cancel the refinancing there will be no cost to the County.
Jody Hoener met with the Commissioners to discuss Spark; she said they have encountered some difficulties getting items purchased, she said the credit cards being used have limits and there have been barriers getting checks cut in off cycles. The Spark money has to be spent by the end of the year. Jody said they needed real-time numbers on what the balance is so that all of the money can be spent by the end of the year. There is a Spark meeting (between Greenbush, departments and others) on December 15th to discuss the balance and reconciling expenses.
Jeff made a motion to allow employees with unused vacation time as of 12/31/2020 to carry over the unused vacation time until 4/30/2021, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Register of Deeds Lora Holdridge met with the Commissioners to discuss longevity pay; she had concerns over employees that had left employment and come back to work getting longevity credit for the time the employee worked at the County before leaving. Lora said all of the elected officials had prior experience with the County before becoming elected. Jeff said elected officials aren’t eligible for the one-time longevity pay, but said if they became unelected and serve the County then their prior knowledge with the County should count towards longevity. Lora said she wasn’t asking for elected officials to get the longevity pay. Lora said if an employee comes back to work for the County then their longevity date should be the date they come back to work, not their original start date. She said their other benefits aren’t held and said their longevity (original hire date) shouldn’t be held either. Lora didn’t agree with the longevity calculation for a former Commissioner leaving and coming back as an employee.
Lynne made a motion to amend the agenda to discuss a pay matter, Jeff seconded and all approved. Lynne said pay raises had been given at times and said Lora had taken on extra work regarding road records back to the 1950’s, Lynne said he thought they should consider a pay scale to compensate for the extra work; Lora thanked him, but said she wasn’t here to discuss that issue.
Clifton made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 15 minute executive session for personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel to protect their privacy, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Eric Bailey). After the session, Jeff made a motion to fill the administrative clerk position for Road & Bridge, Clifton seconded and all approved.
On 12/8/2020, the Commissioners approved a bid from Schwab Eaton to do the bridge inspections; the Commissioners asked that yes be circled on that agreement for the low water crossings.
Jeff made a motion to go into a one hour executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener, Shane Walker, Nedra Barr, Sharon Ross, Lindsay Madison, Josh Jones and Pete Allen (some were attending the meeting by Zoom). No action was taken.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 25 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Justin Meeks and Jody Hoener). After the session, Lynne made a motion to give Clifton permission to meet with CHC, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to amend the agenda to discuss resolutions, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to adopt Resolution 30-20, a wage resolution effective 01/01/2021, increasing the wages for the position of major, captain and GIS coordinator, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to adopt Resolution 31-20, a resolution allowing unused 2020 vacation time to be carried over until April 30, 2021, Clifton seconded and all approved.
Lynne made a motion to not have a Commission meeting on December 29th or January 5th and to allow the Commission room to be used for early in-person voting, Jeff seconded and all approved.
Jeff made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, the Commissioners will meet in another location and reconvene in the Commission room, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Jody Hoener and Justin Meeks). No action was taken.
At 1:00, Jeff made a motion to adjourn, Clifton seconded and all approved.
THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS
(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman
(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner
(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner
ATTEST:
Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk
December 22, 2020, Approved Date