Stories from Friday, April 10, 2009

I had spent weeks organizing an Easter potluck/pool party/egghunt for church families who had no relatives in the Houston area where we lived. Dave was away coaching baseball, but the invited group included several of our sons' friends, so the three of them were actually cooperating by just hiding the colored eggs instead of smashing them on each others' heads or throwing them at passing cars. This was considered excellent behavior in our home...

Volunteers from West Park Church of the Nazarene and First Church of the Nazarene have made a firm commitment to help offer hope to the hungry, hurting and homeless. According to Stacy Racy a member of West Park, the two churches are partnering together to minister to homeless men at the Kansas City Rescue Mission, in Kansas City, Mo. ...

The Fort Scott Design Review Board will meet at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday in City Hall. The meeting is open to the public.

Local residents may now apply to have outdated appliances replaced. A total of $4 million in Low-Income Energy Assistance money from The Kansas Housing Resources Corporation to fund the Residential Appliance Replacement Program which allows income-eligible homeowners and renters to replace appliances which are outdated and not energy-efficient...

USD 235 will conduct screenings of prospective kindergarten students from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 16-17 at West Bourbon Elementary School, 602 Fifth St., Uniontown. Youngsters must be at least five years of age on or before Aug. 31 to participate in the 30-minute screenings, which will be scheduled by appointment. ...

The Fort Scott Community College Music Department will present a concert featuring Nathanael May, University of Kansas pianist, at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at the First Presbyterian Church, 308 S. Crawford. A reception will follow. Nathanael May is a pianist with a penchant for new music, whose performances composers have heralded as "first-rate, dynamic, and refreshing". ...

At 5:30 p.m. Monday, the USD 234 Board of Education will conduct a budget hearing during their regular monthly meeting which will occur at the Board of Education Office, 424 S. Main. According to a meeting agenda, in addition to the budget hearing, board members will consider a proposal to begin a middle school sixth grade tackle football program; changes in the four-year-old at-risk program; a change in the lunchroom visitor policy; eliminating summer school for 2009; and approval of a fundraising project from the high school dance team.. ...

Due to the high demand for tickets to the upcoming world premiere of the television movie "The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler," organizers have scheduled a preview matinee of the film for 2 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, at the Liberty Theater, 113 S. Main St...

Local residents who are looking to buy a house soon will have a chance next week to learn more about the process. Union State Bank, 1009 S. Clark St., is sponsoring a free homebuyer education program that is scheduled to take place at 6 p.m. Thursday, April 16, at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton St...

Brent Emmerson's six-year-old Simmental cross-bred cow defied the odds on April 2 when she gave birth to triplets. According to Cattlenetwork, www.cattlenetwork.com, only one cow out of 105,000 cows will give birth to triplets. Emmerson, rural Fort Scott, who has been raising cattle for about 20 years, said he has had cows that have given birth to twins before, but this is the first time he has ever encountered triplets among his cattle...