Stories from Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Adam LaRoche, a 1997 graduate of Fort Scott High School, was traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates to the Boston Red Sox Wednesday for two mid-level prospects. The Red Sox will be the third major league team for LaRoche, a first baseman who began his major league career with the Atlanta Braves before he was traded to the Pirates two seasons ago. His brother, Andy, joined Adam on the Pirates after being acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in a mid-season trade last year...

Avys Rae Hagman, 97, of Fort Scott, Kan., formerly of Pittsburg, Kan., passed away at 2:15 a.m., Monday, July 20, 2009, at the Mercy Health Center, Fort Scott, Kan. She was born on August 17, 1911, at Princeton, Texas, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Jefferson Taylor. She graduated from Boyd High School (now McKinney High School) in McKinney, Texas, in May of 1928...

FORQUER -- Race Trenton Forquer, a boy, was born at 11:52 a.m. July 22, 2009, to Michael and Jennifer Forquer of Fort Scott at Mercy Health Center, Fort Scott. Race weighed 8 pounds, 11 1/2 ounces at birth. Race is joined by siblings Lacie and Lanie...

Teams will begin arriving this afternoon to take part in the Cal Ripken Baseball 12-year-old State Tournament, which will be held at Don Hewett Field at 6th and Main streets this weekend. A picnic for teams and host families will be hald at 6 p.m. at Buck Run Community Center, which is adjacent to Fisher Park, where Don Hewett Field is located, at 735 Scott Ave...

LAKIN -- Fort Scott's 9-year-old Cal Ripken Baseball team finished third at the State Tournament here Monday, taking the third-place game over Columbus by a score of 10-2. Earlier in the day, Fort Scott lost to Cimarron River, 5-3, in the semifinals. Paola beat Columbus, 12-0, in the other semifinal and went on to beat Cimarron River in the championship game, 13-3...

The Family and Friends Band is scheduled to perform during the Friday night concert series at the Heritage Park Pavilion near the corner of First and Main streets. For several years, the family band has performed a variety of music throughout the four-state area. The Friday concert will feature some of the band' favorite music including fiddle tunes, western swing, and Merle Haggard songs...

UNIONTOWN -- The USD 235 Board of Education is slated to receive an early update on the status of the district's 2009-10 budget during their Monday meeting. According to USD 235 Superintendent Randy Rockhold, recent cuts in state aid have made it difficult to plan next year's budget, but the district hopes to absorb the losses and make it through the school year with minimal damage...

Nearly two decades after former President George Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, a local organization is celebrating the 19th anniversary of the act which helped create equality for those with disabilities. In honor of the anniversary of the ADA, the Fort Scott Resource Center for Independent Living office will be conducting a free event at 11:30 a.m. ...

TRADING POST -- Kansas leaders and area residents assembled at the Linn County Safety Rest Area for the ribbon cutting ceremony in celebration of the completion of the expansion of U.S. Highway 69 from Louisburg to Fort Scott. On behalf of the US-69 Highway Association and the Frontier Military Scenic Byway, Dean Mann acted as Master of Ceremonies. His opening remarks spoke of the accomplishment it has been to expand U.S. Highway 69 thus far and what it means to the area...