Stories from Thursday, October 16, 2008

A local funeral home is sponsoring a free bereavement program designed to help people who are going through a grieving process to comfortably plan for the upcoming holiday season. Cheney Witt Funeral Chapel is sponsoring "Coping with the Holidays," a bereavement workshop scheduled for 6 p.m. ...

Hundreds of Pittsburg State University students braved a drizzly afternoon to vote for the 2008 Homecoming King and Queen during the 2008 Homecoming Convocation, held Wednesday, at Carnie Smith Stadium and Brandenburg Field. Skannd Tyagi, of Kolkata, India, was named King, and Patricia Condiff, of Broken Arrow, Okla., was crowned as Queen...

Students and instructors in the Fort Scott Community College Nursing Department will soon benefit from the latest advancements in clinical training, equipment and technology. The FSCC Nursing Department was recently awarded a $59,686 Carl D. Perkins Reserve Funds grant for the purchase of a Medical Education Technologies, Inc. Pediatric Human Simulator, and to help fund faculty development in the use of human simulators...

NEVADA, Mo. -- "Of the 83 books I have on reserve, probably half of them are hers," Nevada High School Library Media Specialist Ranea Schulze said, pulling three of Ellen Hopkins popular yet unnerving novels about dark issues like drug addiction or suicidal behavior from the reserve stack behind her...

Although local resident Jim Covey was defeated in the primary election, he has not retired his campaign signs. Instead, he has modified the signs which used to ask voters to "Vote for Covey." They now ask voters to "Write In" Covey for the position of Bourbon County Sheriff...

The Uniontown 4-H club had a lot of members going to Hutchinson , Kan., for the 2008 Kansas State Fair. Amber Bartlett: Best Opposite Sex of Breed -- Jr. Buck rabbits, Best Opposite Sex of Variety -- Jr. Buck rabbits, Blue-Dog Jr. Showmanship, Participant -- 4-H Arts and Crafts, Red ribbon -- Color photo. ...

The Uniontown 4-H club participated in the 2008 Kansas Jr. Livestock Show. Drew George was fifth in the Shorthorn Steers 1080-1276 lbs. Cole George was sixth in the AOB Heifers born between March 1, 2007 to March 28, 2007. Chase Gleason was seventh in the Simmental Heifers born between Jan. 13, 2007-Feb. 27, 2007. Clayton Nading was second with his Hampshire barrow in the 264-271 lbs. weight class. Danielle Nading was sixth with her Yorkshire barrow in the 233-257 weight class...

In working for the "government" all these years, I have become accustomed to an "alphabet soup" assortment of acronyms. Most of these simply provide a short-cut reference to a program or activity -- like using "CRP" to refer to the "Conservation Reserve Program." However, one of the most alluring ones to date (and sounding better and better as time passes) is the acronym for the Non-insured Crop Disaster Assistance Program commonly called "NAP."...

Fall is a good time to begin thinking about next year's garden. Tillage and soil tests can be done now to avoid the wet, waterlogged soils we experience in the spring, in addition to other benefits discussed below. Insects often hide in garden debris; if that debris is worked into the soil, insects will be less likely to survive the winter. Diseases are also less likely to overwinter if old plants are worked under. Also, the garden debris will increase the organic matter content of the soil...

Lorene Wheeler, age 92, a resident of rural Hepler, Kan., died early Monday, October 13, 2008, at the Fort Scott Manor. She was born November 5, 1915, in Hiattville, Kan., the daughter of Oliver Barker and Christina Neth Barker. She married Warren F. ...

Iola won the boys' team title while Pittsburg took the girls' championship at the Southeast Kansas League Cross Country Meet, held on the grounds of the Great West Insurance building Thursday afternoon. Fort Scott was not eligible for the boys' championship as it didn't have the minimum five runners. Tiger girls finished in fourth place...

Fort Scott High's volleyball team finally played its first home matches Thursday night. But when one's first home matches are also a player's Senior Night, the pressure to play well may be tougher than usual. The Tigers lost to Chanute, 25-17, 25-17, in their first match and struggled with Iola in a 25-13, 25-20 win in Southeast Kansas League Triangular...