Stories from Thursday, March 6, 2008

SALINA -- The score of Fort Scott High's first-round Class 4A State Tournament game here Wednesday night doesn't look that close. But the second-seeded Andover Central Jaguars know they played a tough team even after taking a 71-61 win that keeps them undefeated for the season.

Fort Scott Community College officials have recently announced that they have begun accepting entries for the 20th Annual Gordon Parks International Photo Competition. The photography contest will be part of the Fifth Annual Gordon Parks Celebration of Culture and Diversity Oct. ...

In 1881 when Clara Barton established the American Red Cross and began providing comfort and hope to those in need, she could not have predicted that her legacy would travel on through generation after generation. On Feb. 28, President George W. Bush proclaimed March American Red Cross Month. In a White House press release, Bush said that the American Red Cross is an example of what the United States stands for...

Roscoe Loehr, age 84, of Kansas City, Kansas, formerly of Savonburg, Kansas, died March 4, 2008 at his home. He was born Aug. 13, 1923, the son of Leonard Hester and Mary Elizabeth (Wolcott) Loehr. Roscoe married Mildred Jane (Long) on Jan. 31, 1946, in Kansas City, Mo...

Sara Kaufmann Haas, age 91, of Munson Twp, Ohio, died March 4, 2008, at the Corinne Dolan Alzheimer Center in Munson Twp. Born on July 10, 1916, in Fort Scott, Kan., she was a longtime resident of Plymouth, Mich., prior to moving to Ohio in 2001. She graduated from Fort Scott High School in 1934, Fort Scott Junior High in 1937, received a B.S. in Commerce from Northwestern University in 1939, and a Masters in Education from Eastern Michigan University in the late 1950s...

Liam Joseph Sheridan, a boy, was born at 8:22 a.m. Tuesday, March 4, 2008 at Mercy Health Center to parents Joe and Nancy Sheridan, Pittsburg. He weighed 8 pounds, 5 ounces at birth. He joins two siblings; Jordan and Nikki Pendergraft. Maternal grandparents are Connie Collins, Washburn, Mo., and Knial Williams, Seligman, Mo. Paternal grandparents are Randy and Vickie Heitz, Cherokee, Kan...

Colby James Herring, a boy, was born at 9:56 p.m. Monday, March 3, 2008 at Mercy Health Center to parents Heather Bartlett and John Herring, Fort Scott. He weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces at birth. He joins two siblings; Kaytlin Herring and Alexis Herring. Maternal grandparents are Beverly and David Bartlett, Fort Scott. Paternal grandparents are Terecia and Larry Herring, Fort Scott...

Celebrate Talking Books Week, March 3-8, has been proclaimed as Talking Books week by Governor Kathleen Sebelius. Talking Books week celebrates the federal Pratt-Smoot Act, enacted on March 3, 1931 and the beginning of distribution of free library materials for blind adults, administered by the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) in the Library of Congress...

The Harvey siblings met for their regular monthly get together, Feb. 8 with Edna Mae Marsh. The group enjoyed visiting and the noon meal prepared by the hostess. Those attending were Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Gates, Joplin, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. Jerry Harvey, Vian, Okla.; Ada Jean Chaffin and Roberta, Independence, Mo.; Mr. and Mrs. Bob Wrestler, Chanute; Mr. and Mrs. Hubert Thomas, Mr. and Mrs. John Snyder and Bart Wright...

The Senior Swingers Monday night dance was to perform as usual. The weather cooperated but with all the storms around and with the prediction of bad storms later in the evening, our count was very low. We had more announcements of sickness. The flu bug or whatever it is, is sure rough on us all...

Fourteen members and two guests attended the Bronson Ruritan meeting Feb. 25 at the Bronson Community Center. They enjoyed a pot-luck meal. President David Wilkins opened with the song "America" led by Julia Ann Rhoton. Glenn Smith gave a prayer. Roll call was given and objective committees were called on. ...

100 YEARS AGO (1908) At Monday night's special council meeting it is believed favorable action to installing a $10,000 settling basin will be taken. Most of the members seemed inclined to the belief that such action should be taken. It would greatly improve the present equipment of the water works...

1800s teacher plan no solution to shortage To the Editor, The teacher shortage has brought out desperate plans for letting anyone with a heartbeat and a KBI clearance teach in Kansas classrooms. Several bills being debated in this Legislative session do just that...

UNIONTOWN -- A popular community meeting place recently reopened its doors to the public. The Uniontown Cafe, located on the north edge of the downtown square, has been an institution in the small town for several decades. After being closed for a little more than a year, the tiny diner opened for business once again on Feb. 5. The reopening came about because of its purchase by area resident Renee Harclerode...

Most crop and livestock producers in the area have already become disturbingly aware of the price spike in fertilizer for the coming year. Commodity prices are up, so the expectation is that those stronger prices will cover this increase for row crops and small grains. Cattle prices, however, have not experienced similar increases, so this is a year when cattle producers may need to keep their pencils sharp to maintain profitability...

The best time to fertilize spring-flowering bulbs is when the foliage begins to emerge, not at flowering. Fertilizer applied at blooming is wasted because the roots begin to die when flowering begins. Roots are very active when foliage begins to appear; thus, the uptake of nutrients will aide in flowering next year...

Nearly 40 Fort Scott High School students danced the night away Saturday to tunes by Vanilla Ice, M.C. Hammer and Michael Jackson as well as many hits from the 1980s in Buck Run Community Center's old gymnasium as part of a fundraiser for two FSHS organizations...

At the city commission meeting Tuesday, Interim City Manager Bob Farmer discussed the possibility of having a police officer attend commission meetings for security purposes. Farmer said he put the item on the meeting's agenda for commissioners to discuss the issue partly because of what happened on Feb. ...