Stories from Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Monday, the House voted to repeal in-state tuition 72-50. This is the bill that I introduced before session started. The bill would require illegal aliens to pay the same rate as U.S. citizens from other states and foreign-exchange students. There were 413 reported illegal aliens enrolled at Regent institutions in 2010. It was a major hurdle to get the bill passed in the House. It will take a small miracle to get the Senate to support the bill...

100 YEARS AGO (1911) The Fort Scott Brick & Tile Co. will resume operations Wednesday with a full force of men at work. About 60,000 bricks will be turned out each day. The plant has been partly closed down for several weeks because of improvements that have been made. The bricks plant now is one of the thriving Fort Scott industries. The company now is known as the Fort Scott Brick & Tile Co...

To the Editor: Good news for country music fans: Classic Country will open this Friday, March 4 at 8 p.m. at Memorial Hall. Once again, Fort Scott will be blessed with good family entertainment in the form of a country music show on a regular basis...

Six counties competed at Regional 4-H Days Saturday, Feb. 26 in Linn County. The counties participating in the event included: Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Linn, Wilson and Woodson. Bourbon County received 11 Purple Ratings. The purple ribbon winners from Bourbon County were:...

The Hiattville 4-H Club was called to order Wednesday, Feb. 9. Members answered to the roll call of "The Best Pet I've Ever Had." Members were reminded of several upcoming events: beef, sheep, swine, and goat weigh-in, Tractor Safety School, judging clinics, Regional 4-H Day, 4-H Camp and the Bourbon County Fair...

The Fort Scott Recreation Commission hosted its 29th Annual Spelling Bee on February 26. The competition consited of local students in grades one through five. The winners are: Fifth grade division (Top left): First place, Micah Self (left) from Christian Heights and second place, Isabella Provence (right) from Eugene Ware Elementary School...

The Fort Scott forensics team divided yet another weekend competing at both Wellsville and Parsons. The competitors at Wellsville ended atop the sweepstakes chase to win the overall title. The Tigers were aided in this effort by the 16 events put into finals...

EMPORIA -- Nearly 100 educators from across Kansas, including several from Fort Scott, gathered to hear an award-winning children's author and illustrator and a nationally known reading expert at a recent conference at Emporia State University. Those attending from Fort Scott were reading recovery teachers Janet Irvin, Michelle Defebaugh, Becky Tinker, Linda Jackson, Sheryl Bloomfield and Anna Swank...

Air Force Airman Kyle J. Deer graduated from basic military training at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. The airman completed an intensive, eight-week program that included training in military discipline and studies, Air Force core values, physical fitness and basic warfare principles and skills...

John Francis Sheehy, 51, 12 N. Margrave, Fort Scott, was arrested by the Fort Scott Police Department on Feb. 28 at 7:42 a.m. on a Bourbon County warrant and is still being held. Matthew A. Broyles, 27, 2801 Botkin Rd., Blue Mound, was arrested by the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office on March 1 at 2:45 a.m. for driving while suspended and no proof of insurance and is still being held...

At a time when talk is budget cuts and how to balance finances, the city of Fort Scott has kept working toward improving the city. The city took on the task of continuing to improve local streets through the annual street and sidewalk program and even took the street improvements to another level by completing the resurfacing of Wall Street...

Fort Scott High School is offering driver education this summer. Students may sign up in the high school office from 7:15 a.m.-4 p.m. Students must be 14 by April 1 to participate in the program. A fee of $2 will be collected when a student registers for the course and an additional $110 will be due by May 1...

All members of the Fort Scott Scottish Rite, 110 S. Main, Fort Scott, are asked to attend the regular scheduled meeting and dinner at 6:30 p.m. March 3. The dinner menu is rib-eye steak, baked potatoes, salad, hot rolls, cake and tea or coffee. For those wishing to attend, RSVP no later than today (Wednesday, March 2). Call (620) 223-1330, fax (620) 223-3851, or e-mail fsscottishrite@sbcglobal.net...

The Fort Scott Design Review Board will meet at 4 p.m. Monday, March 7. The meeting will be held at City Hall, 123 S. Main, and is open to the public.

The Fort Scott Community College 30th Annual Spring College Rodeo is set for 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 11, 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 12 and 1 p.m. Sunday, March 13. Events will include bareback riding, calf roping, breakaway roping, saddle bronc riding, steer wrestling, goat tying, team roping, barrel racing, and bull riding. ...

Fort Scott National Historic Site officials recently announced that a controlled burn is slated to take place within the next several weeks at the site. FSNHS Superintendent Betty Boyko said a prescribed fire is scheduled to be conducted sometime between March 21 and April 22 in the park. ...

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Cancer Partnership, American Cancer Society and the Kansas Association of Gastroenterologists are working together to promote awareness and screening activities across Kansas during the March 2011 Kansas Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month campaign...

Various public works projects were discussed during Tuesday evening's Fort Scott City Commission meeting. The contractor doing the Seventh and National retaining bridge is working "very hard," according to Fort Scott Director of Public Works Eric Bailey...

HUTCHINSON -- Hutchinson outscored Fort Scott Community College's men 25-17 in the second half here Tuesday night as the Blue Dragons put an end to the Greyhounds' season with a 51-39 decision in the first round of the Region VI Tournament. The 39 points are the fewest the Greyhounds (5-26) have scored in the Region VI Tournament since it expanded to 16 teams and was the third-lowest total in school history since the shot clock was made a part of the game...

IOLA -- Katren Rienbolt's first and only field goal of the night with about 20 seconds remaining allowed Fort Scott High's girls to survive a late Iola rally and come away with a 44-43 victory in the first round of the Class 4A Paola Sub-State Basketball Tournament here Tuesday night...