Stories from Monday, May 3, 2010

Crawford County law enforcement responded to a call regarding an accident Friday night involving a vehicle striking a tree. Emergency responders arrived shortly after 11 p.m. Friday to the scene of the one-car accident on 520 Avenue, 200 feet west of 250th Street in rural Crawford County...

TOPEKA -- USDA Rural Development State Director Patty Clark announced Monday the agency is accepting applications for grants to help low-income and very-low-income rural residents repair their homes. USDA's Rural Development Housing Preservation Grant Program provides financial assistance to sponsoring organizations to assist in the repair or rehabilitation of single-family and rental residences located in rural communities...

The Fort Scott High School forensics team repeated as state champions this past weekend in Topeka. FSHS coach Brian Weilert said the past two years have been the largest in Kansas history for any school classification as far as number of students competing in the state championship -- more than 500 students from across the state competed in the event. The squad outlasted powerhouse Sumner Academy and 48 other teams to earn the title...

As a result of an investigation by the Fort Scott Police Department, two men have been arrested in relation to the beating of a Fort Scott man. Joshua Warner, 24, of Metz, Mo., was arrested on April 14 in Nevada and Eric Shores was arrested by the Barton County Sheriff's Department on April 21 in Lamar, Mo...

Representative says assistance available to employees in finding another job within Cigna or at a similar company

While it was not a unanimous decision, the USD 234 Board of Education has approved a district proposal to reconfigure Winfield Scott and Eugene Ware elementary schools into attendance centers. The board ended months of looking at the proposal -- which will change one school into a kindergarten-through-second-grade school and the other into a third-through-fifth-grade school by the start of the 2010-11 school year -- when it approved the proposal by a 5-2 decision during its regular meeting on Monday.. ...

GIRARD -- Griffin Knopp won high jump at the Girard Optimist Invitational here Friday, clearing the bar at 6 feet, 4 inches. That effort helped Tiger boys finish in a tie for fourth place in the tean standings with Baxter Springs. Joplin won both the boys and girls team titles. Carthage was second and Pittsburg third on the boys' side. Grove, Okla., finished second on the girls' side followed by Pittsburg with Fort Scott finishing in ninth place in the 14-school meet...

MADISON -- Pleasanton's track team struggled somewhat at the tough Madison Invitational Friday as the Blu-Jays did not win any events. However, the level of competition here may be seen again when Class 1A Regionals are held here in about 2 1/2 weeks, so this meet could turn out to be good preparation...

PARSONS -- To no one's surprise, Independence won its 10th consecutive Southeast Kansas League tennis championship here Thursday as the Bulldogs took the crown at the SEK Tournament. Fort Scott finished sixth in the field, The highest finish on the day was posted by Kyle Altic in No. 2 singles, as he took fourth place with a 2-2 record for the day...

A crucial throwing error in the seventh inning of a tied game allowed visiting Coffeyville to score what turned out to be the series-winning run as the Red Ravens swept Fort Scott Community College 2-0 in a best-of-3 Region VI Division II District D first-round playoff series at the Betty Ruth Willard Complex Sunday afternoon...