Stories from Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Three members of Fort Scott High School's wrestling team have been honored with spots on the All-Southeast Kansas League team. Sophomore Tyler Sharp was named to the First Team as the 112-pound wrestler. Sharp advanced to the Class 4A State Tournament this season...

Stanley J. Ford, 61, devoted husband, father and grandfather, died March 7, 2011. Visitation with family will be 6-8 pm, Wednesday, Broadway Mortuary, Wichita, Kan. Funeral services 10:30 am, Thursday, at Brookhaven Baptist Church, 15200 E. Central, Andover, Kan...

Twenty-four people enjoyed the First Sunday of March Church dinner this week in Arcadia Christian Church. We were glad to welcome back Taylor Trammel and Bridgett Schmitz to class and dinner. Mark and Janet Vanleeuwen from St. Paul were church and dinner guests. ...

On March 5, the Fort Scott forensics team traveled to both Olathe Northwest and southeast of Cherokee to compete. The Olathe tournament had 20 schools vying for the title. In the end, it was the Tigers who came away with their sixth sweepstakes championship of the season. ...

Presbyterian Village will have its annual auction May 12, but it is starting to collect items now. Soon, area residents will tackle annual challenges such as clearing brush in the backyard, tidying up the basement, cleaning out the garage and emptying cabinets to replace shelf paper. ...

The House has focused on reducing the size and scope of government, growing the Kansas economy and increasing personal freedom for the first two months of the session. In the next few weeks, the House will focus on tax reform and budget proposals. Over the past two months, the House has voted to eliminate 2,000 open government positions helping decrease the size of government; passed workers' compensation reform that will substantially improve the business climate in Kansas; passed the Health-Care Freedom Amendment that will give Kansans a chance to vote on rejecting ObamaCare; passed the Voter ID bill that will help protect the integrity of our elections; passed a bill to repeal in-state-tuition for illegal aliens that will stop giving taxpayer funded benefits to those here illegally; passed pro-life legislation to stop partial-birth-abortions in Kansas.. ...

100 YEARS AGO (1911) (March 7) -- Pasadena, Calif., March 7) -- What is said to be the most elaborate golden wedding anniversary ever celebrated anywhere in the world took place here today with Mr. and Mrs. Adolphus Busch as central figures. The most costly and beautiful present was a diadem presented to Mrs. Busch by her husband. It is a crown of gold, studded with diamonds and pearls, valued at $200,000. It was made in Frankfurt, Germany...

Early this year, Gov. Brownback published his 2012 budget and what is interesting about this particular budget is not what was included in it, but what wasn't -- funding for the Kansas Neurological Institute (KNI) in Topeka. KNI was established in 1960 to house persons with developmental disabilities as part of the state institution network that included Parsons, Winfield and Norton...

To the Editor: Disappointed and embarrassed were my feelings when a historical event of extreme significance was printed on the 2nd page of our own local newspaper dated March 1, 2011. This country lost its last World War I veteran, Frank Woodruff Buckles, on Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011. At the age of 16 1/2, this man lied about his age and finally convinced an Army captain that he was 18 years old so he could participate in a war that ultimately shaped the 20th century...

By Michael Pommier The Fort Scott Tribune The Lenten staple of the Knights of Columbus Council No. 796's Friday fish fries returns this year. According to Past K. of C. Grand Knight Joe Barr, the council has been hosting the community dinners during Lent for "well over 10 years now." Although he is not sure just how long the fish fries have been held, he knows the event has grown every year. ...

In its second community conversation, the Community Health and Wellness Committee hosted about 35 Fort Scott residents at East Side Fire Station No. 2 to present more information about a half-cent sales tax proposal that would fund renovation of the city's pool and expansion of Buck Run Community Center...

Despite attempts to keep the business open, Topco Laminates Corp. officials recently announced that the company has closed its doors. Former company President Larry Gazaway said in a statement Tuesday that the decision to close the business last Thursday came as unfortunate news spurred by the economy. Slumping sales in the residential housing market, combined with high fuel and raw material prices forced the company to stop production on Feb. 28...