Stories from Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Cost-share funds are now available to landowners within 17 counties in eastern Kansas and Western Missouri through the "Kan-Mo Bi-State Marais des Cygnes Targeted Watershed Grant Program." To kick the program off, landowners will have the opportunity to tour a completed tree planting project at the Marais des Cygnes National Wildlife Refuge and learn from local experts on the benefits of improving forested areas along streams during a Free Forestry Field Day, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Nov. 13...

The fourth and final 2008 Spirit of Women event, sponsored by Mercy Health Center, is slated for Monday, Nov. 10, at the Fort Cinema in Fort Scott. The theme of the event is "Girls Night Out" and combines free movies, health screenings, drawings and a holiday gift display by Mercy Health Center Auxiliary...

When local elementary school students discovered drugs in their school, they wasted no time in disposing of them in the trash. Students in the USD 234 elementary schools celebrated Red Ribbon Week on Oct. 23-31. As part of this drug awareness campaign, Fort Scott Police School Resource Officer Toby Nighswonger visited with fourth- and fifth-grade students at both Eugene Ware Elementary and Winfield Scott Elementary about the dangers of illegal drug usage. ...

A group of downtown business owners are trying to attract more attention to the downtown area. In an attempt to draw more attention from local residents and tourists to downtown Fort Scott, 10 local business owners will conduct a special holiday open house event from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday at their respective businesses. All of the businesses will be open during regular business hours Thursday, but will remain open after hours for the three-hour special event...

The Fort Scott Redlegs 10-and-under girls' fast-pitch softball team took second place in a 12-and-under Halloween Tournament at Four Seasons Complex in Joplin Oct. 25. They lost the championship game by one run in extra innings. The players are (from left) -- FRONT: Daryan Herring, Ashton Simons and Katy Pitts; BACK: Head coach Joe Brown, Kyle Brown, Alexis Overton, Hannah Geneva, Holly Shinn, Kamryn Osborn, Ashley McDonald and assistant coach Brett Geneva...

After losing to No. 3 Butler, 24-7, at El Dorado Saturday night, it was inevitable that Fort Scott Community College's football team would drop down in the NJCAA/jcfootball.com poll this week. Released Tuesday, Fort Scott (8-1) falls from No. 4 down to No. 9 after suffering its first loss of the season...

Michael Ray "Mick" Lee, age 63, a resident of Redfield, Kansas, died Saturday, November 1, 2008, at his home. He was born January 19, 1945, in Fort Scott, Kansas, the son of James Wesley Lee and Mildred Grace Samuels Lee. Mick had lived with foster parents, Leah and Louis Roweth until age six when he returned to live with his mother and step-father, Dick Keeney. ...

Anna Marie Feemster, 94, of Fort Scott, died Saturday afternoon, November 1, 2008 at the Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott, Kan. She was born on September 24, 1914 in Fulton, Kan., the daughter of Michael and Ida Elizabeth Wogan Schafer. Anna Marie was a member of the Fort Scott High School Class of 1933. She worked for forty years for Floyd Dotson at Security State Bank. She was a long time member of the St. John's United Methodist Church...