Stories from Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Kansas Highway Patrol is advising all motorists to be cautious of deer activity on and around Kansas roadways this fall. Because deer-breeding season generally runs from October into December, law enforcement officers routinely investigate a large number of vehicle-deer crashes this time of year...

Attorney General Steve Six today urged parents and other consumers to check the Entertainment Software Rating Board rating before purchasing computer or video games as gifts. More than 50 percent of computer and video games are sold during the holiday shopping season, so it is important shoppers make sure the games they give to young people are age and content-appropriate...

The Christmas shopping season will be somewhat different this year for many people given the sluggish state of the nation's economy. Area shoppers who will be working with tight budgets this year shouldn't have to worry about spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on expensive gifts or toys for their loved ones. ...

Frank G. "Red" Proctor, Jr., age 80, former resident of 1832 E. Oak, Fort Scott, died Monday, Nov. 17, 2008, at Fort Scott Manor Nursing Home. He was born Dec. 4, 1927, in Fort Scott, the son of Frank Proctor Sr. and Alvena Kruger Proctor. He was a veteran of WWII, having served with the United States Army. ...

It was a nice evening and a good attendance at the Senior Citizen dance at Buck Run Community Center, Monday. There were more than 60 present and all came to dance for sure. After the small group last week, we were hoping that it wasn't sickness that kept them all away. There were no reports of sickness, so we blame it on the weather...

The October meeting of the Northeast Scott 4-H club came to order by President Cheyenne Wiley. The meeting began with the Pledge of Allegiance, 4-H Pledge, and installment of the new officers. 33 members and 3 leaders answered roll call by "What is your favorite cookie". Then the reports of officers...

Retired Senior Volunteers Program members from the tri-county area partcipated in a "Mystery Trip" Wednesday, Nov. 12. Thirty-two volunteers and three representatives boarded a chartered bus around 9:30 a.m. The bus headed south toward Oklahoma and their first stop was at the boyhood ranch of Will Rogers. ...

Terry Files may soon be leaving his current position with Wal-Mart, but it doesn't mean that he won't be dropping by the local store periodically. "I'll have those Fort Scott roots and ties with me forever," the Fort Scott Wal-Mart Supercenter store manager said Tuesday. "I'd love to stay in contact with the chamber and the city and all of that. The community has been wonderful to me -- the people have been good to me and to Wal-Mart."...

In mid-October, one of my articles was on fall garden work and soil testing. Though soil tests are useful for identifying nutrient deficiencies as well as soil pH, they do not tell the whole story. We often receive soils from gardeners who are having a difficult time growing crops even though the soil test shows that nothing is deficient. Here are some factors that can affect plant growth that are not due to nutrient deficiencies or pH...

Bill R. Fuller, State Executive Director of the Kansas Farm Service Agency recently issued a statement reminding Kansas farmers and ranchers that the deadline for eligible voters to return ballots to their local FSA offices is Dec. 1 for the election of local county FSA committee members...

As most families across America look ahead to the stress and trials associated with the holiday season, some face an even tougher task as single parents. Fort Scott resident and single mother Brenda Buehler, 31, is no stranger to stretching a buck. But when it comes to providing a memorable Thanksgiving and Christmas for her 7-year-old son, Gabe, finances only stretch so far...

To many people, Christmas is a season of giving. While some find holiday giving to be an enjoyable undertaking, others are too financially crippled to give even to those close to them. In an effort to help meet a variety of needs in the local area, the Bourbon County branch of the Salvation Army is beginning its annual Christmas bell-ringing fundraising event on Friday, Nov. 28. The event, which will be conducted through Christmas Eve, is being expanded this year...

PAWNEE 4-H held their monthly club meeting on Oct. 24 at the home of club members Michaela and Caden Webb. The Webbs hosted a Halloween party and Hayride for the club. Members played games, roasted hotdogs, enjoyed refreshments and were scared silly on the spooky hayride through the countryside...

The Fort Scott Tribune Greendale, WI -- The Taste of Home Cookbook is back. In 2006, Taste of Home captured the spirit of the American pass-it-over-the-fence tradition with its first Taste of Home Cookbook -- A neighborly exchange of reader-submitted recipes, stories and tips from home cooks across the country that became an instant best-seller...

By Rayma Silvers The Fort Scott Tribune As drivers begin making long distant trips to various Thanksgiving get-togethers, law enforcement officers will be out in full-force to ensure passengers arrive safely to each destination. According to a press release from the Fort Scott Police Department, FSPD is joining forces with other law enforcement agencies across the state to participate in the Kansas Thanksgiving Traffic Enforcement Mobilization project. ...

By Jason E. Silvers The Fort Scott Tribune The Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center, scheduled for completion in March 2009, continues to take shape on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. Tim Carson, a representative of Crossland Construction Company, the Columbus, Kan.-based company that is overseeing construction of the center, said Thursday that crews have not encountered any major problems that resulted in delays since construction on the 44,000-square-foot building began a year ago.. ...

According to a press release from The City of Fort Scott, Captain Paul Ballou will be the new Fire Chief for the City of Fort Scott. He will assume his new job responsibilities effective Nov. 24. Ballou has been with the Fort Scott Fire Department for 18 years. ...

In spite of the difficult economic situations many Americans have recently found themselves in, local merchants remain positive about the holiday shopping season. According to several local store owners, little evidence of a difficult shopping season has presented itself thus far. Although some admit the possibility of seeing a drop in business as the season progresses...