Stories from Monday, December 27, 2010

Representatives from the Kansas Small Business Development Center at Pittsburg State University will be in Fort Scott from 9 a.m.-noon Thursday, Jan. 20, 2011 for free individual counseling sessions. The sessions will be held in the Greyhound Room of the Fort Scott Community College Administration Building, 2108 S. Horton, at selected times during the year. Contact the KSBDC at PSU (620) 235-4921 for future dates and times...

Shortly after 7 p.m. Friday, the Crawford County Sheriff's Department received a report of a residential structure fire in Hepler. The address was determined by responding units to be 606 N. Elm. The residence, owned by Travis S. Smith of Hepler, sustained a substantial amount of damage. No injuries were reported and no one was home at the time of the fire...

Starting Jan. 1, 2011, motorists can expect to receive traffic tickets for texting and driving in Kansas. State and local law enforcement officers have been issuing warnings for this violation since July 2010, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation. However, the law provides that tickets can be issued beginning Jan. 1, 2011. Drivers receiving citations will be subject to a minimum fine of $60, plus court costs...

Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison is ready to work to help the chamber and city grow in 2011. Madison, a longtime chamber member who was named executive director last month by the chamber's board of directors, said the fact that she is a lifelong Fort Scott resident is an important asset that she brings to the table in her new position...

Looking to the future of Fort Scott, City Manager Dave Martin said he's gathered a group of people from across the city to figure out what form economic development should take. In early December, the city parted ways with Fort Scott Director of Economic Development Dale Bunn. He had been in the job for four years and was involved in several projects including the Good Neighbor Blitz, Phoenix Committee, and most recently, the community rehabilitation project...