Stories from Saturday, May 16, 2009

COFFEYVILLE, Kan. -- Fort Scott High School's track teams took part in the Southeast Kansas League relays at Veterans Memorial Stadium Thursday. The boys finished fourth in the team standings while the girls were sixth. Pittsburg won the boys' team title while Chanute took the girls', both doing so for the second consecutive season. Pittsburg is the boys' champ for the third time in the last four seasons. Until last season, Chanute hadn't won the girls' title since 1976...

PARSONS, Kan. -- Cole Murrin won the individual title at the Parsons Invitational Thursday but the Fort Scott High School team as a whole finished only third behind Coffeyville and Independence. The Tigers shot 330 as a team while Coffeyville finished on top at 327 and Independence followed at 328. Pittsburg was fourth at 337, showing how competitive it was among the teams that brought their top players...

LaCYGNE, Kan. -- Jayhawk-Linn's girls dominated the Pioneer League Track Meet Thursday, winning eight events and 22 medals and scoring 146 1/2 points to finish well ahead of runner-up Central Heights, which had 104 points. Jayhawk boys tied for second with Wellsville with 106 points. Osawatomie was the winner with 170...

Once again, the Three Rivers League will undergo change. Effective with the 2010-11 school year Northeast High School in Arma, Kan., will leave the Crawford-Neosho-Cherokee League to join the TRL. The move was approved unanimously by the Unified School District 246 board of education Monday. The move will not happen until 2010-11 because a two-year football schedule cycle has to be finished up in 2009-10...

"Having poked into campgrounds across the country, I am assured that Missouri has become a favorite state for campers because it has an abundance of those things campers want, from wilderness camping to togetherness in a crowded park. It seems all America is camping in Missouri," said Fred Pearson, Warrensburg as he gets set to start off the camping season...

Danielle Krusich and Tod Hessong exchanged wedding vows on July 11, 2008, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, in Pittsburg, Kan. The Revs. Tom Stroot and Larry Parker officiated the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Jim and Sandy Krusich, Pittsburg, Kan., and granddaughter of Francis and Ann Krusich, Frontenac, Kan., and Joseph and Patricia Stiles, Wilson, Kan...

Mr. and Mrs. Buford Johnson will celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary on May 21, 2009. Reta Mae Ermel and Buford Johnson were married on May 21, 1939, by the Rev. Young in the Presbyterian Parsonage in Fort Scott. They have lived most of their married lives in Bronson, Kan...

Brent and Julie Leonard, Nevada, Mo., announce the engagement of their daughter, Lacy Leonard, to Joe Warren, Atchison, Kan., son of Gene and Doreen Winn, Estancia, N.M. The bride-elect is a 2005 graduate of Nevada High School, Nevada, Mo., and is currently attending Benedictine College, Kan., with a major in elementary education...

A Nevada, Mo., man was injured in a one-vehicle crash early Wednesday, near the south junction of U.S. Highway 69 and U.S. 54. Shortly before 3:30 a.m., a 1999 Pontiac Grand Am driven by Jesse Stufflebeam, 21, Fort Scott, which was headed north on U.S. 69, left the roadway and struck the end of a bridge, according to a Kansas Highway Patrol report...

The title of this column could have been the motto of Union Brigadier General Clinton B. Fisk because it certainly was his policy to, whenever and wherever possible, kill every Confederate guerrilla and "bushwhacker" and outlaw in northern Missouri from April 6, 1864, to the end of the Civil War in April, 1865...

Hi neighbors. When I heard an acquaintance had published a book, I volunteered to read it and write something about it in the newspaper. Originally I thought the book would be a series of autobiographic memoirs in poetry form and short essays. Although the book does contain some such memoirs, it is more a series of articles of the author's own spiritual journey and resultant belief system...

Fort Scott, Kan. --The Good Neighbor Action Team is still searching to meet their funding goal for the Good Neighbor Blitz. According to co-convener Reed Hartford, this year's event will cost approximately $25,000 in materials. He added the committee has not yet surpassed the $5,000 mark. With the event just over a month away, Hartford is concerned about the level of fundraising. He said the committee has not discussed what will happen if the $25,000 goal is not met...

Eric Matthews, 14, El Dorado Springs, Mo., is headed to Washington, D.C., next week as one of 55 finalists -- one from each state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands Pacific Territories and Department of Defense Dependents Schools. ...

On May 11, participants of the 2009 Walk Kansas program celebrated the end of an eight-week-long journey. During the celebration, the top Walk Kansas teams and individuals were recognized for their success during the program. According to Kansas State Research and Extension Agent Ann Ludlum, Walk Kansas is an eight-week health and wellness programin which 50 Bourbon County teams comprised of 300 area residents participated in this year. ...

Sidewalks in the downtown historical district will soon get some much-needed repairs. The city of Fort Scott is one month away from beginning work on a five-year sidewalk improvement program which will replace a number of sidewalks around town. "I'm excited about the program," Fort Scott City Manager Joe Turner said. "I think the citizens are going to be very surprised in a few years."...

Nevada, Mo. -- During a regular meeting at the district's central offices on Wednesday, the Nevada R-5 Board of Education approved looking into a drug testing policy for all participants in any extra-curricular activity. The administration will try to find how to best implement the policy and see if the policy could be in place by the start of classes in the fall. The board will revisit the policy at the June meeting...

"The weather was a little rainy ahead of time and we were holding our breath, but by 4:30 p.m. it turned out to be a perfect evening to come out," Presbyterian Village Executive Director Ginger Dierksen said. On April 30, the Presbyterian Village celebrated 15 years of business, along with their annual auction and dinner to benefit Fort Scott Presbyterian Village's Good Samaritan Fund. The event raised more than $15,000, according to Dierksen...

Nevada's Osage Prairie YMCA is set to make a big splash with the opening of its new pool on Monday, May 18. The completion of this community-supported project could not come at a more exciting time as families and students alike anticipate the approaching swim season. ...