Stories from Friday, February 18, 2011

GIRARD -- Three Uniontown high school student-athletes competed in the 18th Annual Girard Speed and Strength Meet here Feb. 12. Garrett Murrow competed in the 142-158 pound class. He placed first in squat and third in power clean. Trenton Miller competed in the 202-pound-and-over class. He won the pro agility run, finished second in the vertical jump, the 20-yard dash and in the power clean...

Entries for the 22nd annual Kansas Voices statewide writing contest must be postmarked by March 15. There are adult and youth categories (18 years and under), in poetry and prose (short story). All Kansas writers are encouraged to enter. To be eligible, writers must live in Kansas. There is no subject matter requirement and all entries are judged based on literary merit...

Fort Scott Community College will host the eighth annual History Day celebration on Feb. 19. At Kansas National History Day, students have a chance to celebrate, explore and exhibit history. The competition will take place on the FSCC campus and this year's theme is "Debate & Diplomacy: Successes, Failures, Consequences."...

The world-famous Vienna Boys Choir will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27 at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the campus of Fort Scott Community College. The performance is sponsored by the Bourbon County Arts Council, Key Charitable Trust and UMB Bank. Tickets are $30 for adults and $25 for children and students...

The Kansas Corporation Commission recently approved Westar Energy's plan to be a partner utility in the state's Efficiency Kansas program. Westar customers can now repay the cost of approved energy efficiency improvements to their home or small business through monthly installments on their Westar utility bill...

A day of dancing and shopping will be combined with health screenings and education on heart disease in the fourth annual Day of Dance for Health, set for Saturday, Feb. 26. The event will be held from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at Fort Scott Middle School, 1105 E. 12th St...

Small businesses and veterans could get some help from a bill that would provide benefits to firms for hiring service men and women. U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, R-Kan., along with U.S. Sens. Scott Brown, R-Mass., and Kay Hagan, D-N.C., have introduced the Hire A Hero Act of 2011. ...

Fort Scott Middle School students will receive some hands-on technological experience when area professionals visit the school next week. Three engineers from 3M, a manufacturing facility in Nevada, Mo., will be on campus Wednesday to give a presentation and participate in a problem-solving activity with students in Stephanie Grantham's technology classes as part of National Engineers Week...

Continuing a tradition begun when he was a U.S. Congressman, newly-elected Sen. Jerry Moran will is embarking on a statewide "listening tour," which includes a Feb. 24 stop in Fort Scott. Moran will meet with residents from 8:30 a.m.-9:30 a.m. in the media room at Fort Scott High School, 1005 S. Main St. Everyone is encouraged to attend...

With one final task to accomplish, National Avenue may be open for traffic next week. Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin said he received word from the contractor, Rogers & Sons Concrete of Fort Scott, saying they plan to resurface the section of missing asphalt in the 700 block of South National Avenue either Wednesday or Thursday, depending on the weather...

Glen Everet "Bear" Griffith passed away at 9 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 13, at the Midland Care Hospice House. During his three-month battle with cancer, he was accompanied and comforted by his wife, Marilyn Kay, and his final days were spent surrounded by family and friends...

Bobbie Lee Tennison, age 66, resident of 2104 S. Eddy, Fort Scott, died Thursday, February 17, 2011, at the Mercy Health Center Fort Scott. Service arrangements for Bobbie Lee Tennison will be announced by the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Fort Scott, Kan., 66701...

After returning to Fort Scott from Humboldt, Kan., in the late spring of 1862, R.M. Peck, hired on as the Assistant Wagon Boss with a wagon train of Commissary Stores going to south to Fort Gibson in the Indian Territory (present Oklahoma). The following is Peck's memoir of this trip that was published in the July 28, 1904 edition of the National Tribune newspaper in Washington, D.C...

There will be a Hunter education course, March 15, 17 at the Fort Scott Community College in room A-129, with the final session on Saturday, March 19 at Gunn Park Shelter House No. 4. The Tuesday and Thursday sessions will be from 6:30-10 p.m. The Saturday session at Gunn Park will be from 8 a.m. until noon...

Elizabeth Reed, Fort Scott, earned a place on the fall 2010 semester Dean's List at University of Central Missouri. Reed's academic work earned her a place on the 4.0 list. Each semester the Dean's List is divided into two parts. The first list includes the names of students who achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average, and the second list includes the names of students who attained a grade point average of 3.5 to 3.99...

This past week Sarah, a senior drama student, was leading her classmates in a yoga exercise. She reminded them of what her yoga instructor had said: "It's very difficult to empty our minds ... but we must try." "No problem for me," I thought. "I've been losing mine for quite some time." It's been a painless process, but it's definitely escalating. ...