Stories from Thursday, November 10, 2011

100 YEARS AGO (1911) Last evening fire was discovered in the office of the Chenault real estate company, in the Prichard Block on Wall Street, and an alarm was sounded. Both wagons responded. The fire had resulted from an explosion of gas and it was some time before it could be discovered as it was burning under the floor. When the blaze was at last located it was necessary to cut a hole through the floor in order to extinguish it. Damage was slight but the entire building was filled with smoke...

To the Editor: Harry Truman famously advised those who want a friend in Washington to get a dog. But Kansas livestock producers have a true friend in the nation's capital, and it's not a canine. U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran has been a close ally throughout an 18-month battle to block or blunt a federal regulation greatly expanding the government's role in livestock marketing and discouraging alternative and innovative livestock marketing...

The fact that the disaster programs included in the last farm bill expired as of Sept. 30 has been mentioned in this column in recent weeks. A common question now is: "Where does that leave us if this drought continues into next year?" This week's rainfall could make this a moot point (at least for now) as approximately five-plus inches of rain were recorded on Monday and Tuesday around the county. But if drought would eventually persist through next summer, what then?...

Now that much of the corn, soybeans and grain sorghum have been harvested, it's a good time to evaluate and perform maintenance on terraces. The long period of dry, mild fall weather has helped create ideal conditions in many areas for terrace maintenance...

Beef consumers are more aware than ever before about the quality and safety of the food products they purchase. The Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program is the cornerstone of the industry's quality and safety efforts. The overarching goal of BQA is to deliver a healthy, safe and wholesome beef product to consumers...

Ronald Simmons, 73, resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011, at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City, Mo. Funeral services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday in the Community Christian Church. Burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery. Memorials are suggested to the Sharing Bucket...

Emma Lou Thompson, 83, died Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011. She was born Oct. 19, 1928. Her ashes were interred in the National Cemetery. She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond Thompson.

Steve William Campbell, 57, Kansas City, Mo., was arrested by the Fort Scott Police Department at 6:03 p.m. Tuesday for driving under the influence, driving while suspended, transporting open container and failure to carry liability insurance. He was released at 1:07 a.m. Wednesday...

My son Adam is passionate about hunting. He did not get that love from me. I find it cruel to stalk a deer or elk by hiding in trees or brush while baiting them with mimicking animal calls. "You have a distinct advantage," I tell him. "If the animals had cameras and binoculars and a bow and arrow, things would be equal, but this way it's not fair."...

Effective immediately, the Main Street entrance into Buck Run Community Center will be closed. According to a news release from the city, the only entrance into Buck Run will be on Scott Avenue behind Fort Scott High School. Also, the entrance to Buck Run will now be on the west side of the building...

As part of a community service project, the Fort Scott High School Family, Career and Community Leaders of America chapter is conducting a community-wide project for Ronald McDonald House in Joplin, Mo. Ronald McDonald House offers a "home away from home" for families of seriously ill children and ill expectant mothers, a news release said. Collecting the tabs is one way of raising funds for the service...

The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation Board of Directors presented seven nonprofit organizations with grants for the 2011 Grant Cycle during a Chamber Coffee on Nov. 3. The following organizations were presented grants: It will help fund background checks, postage and interview costs...

The Family and Community Education (FCE) Council and the Southwind Extension District, Fort Scott office, will sponsor the annual "Fall Follies" educational programs Tuesday from 5:15 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Fellowship Hall, First Southern Baptist Church, 1818 S. Main...

In the Civil War, "Going home" were two magic words and music to the ears of any soldier, sailor or marine and, for that matter, to anyone past and present who served in any branch of the armed forces of United States. Tomorrow is Veterans Day, and today is the 236th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, so it is most fitting and proper to say thank you to each and every veteran and their families for the sacrifices they have made to make sure that we as a nation enjoy the freedoms of today. ...

Local veterans will remember and be remembered in observance of Veterans Day on Friday. Area schools, businesses and organizations will conduct events this week to honor the nation's military service men and women. Veterans Day is an annual federal holiday observed on Nov. 11. It is also celebrated as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world and falls on the same date, the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I...

They carry the flag on the field at football games and other community events in praise of their country, but the biggest honor the men of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1165 Honor Guard have is to recognize the men and women who have served in the armed forces at their burial...

As her immaculately manicured fingers instinctively fly across the keys, accompanist Doris Jones plays the familiar "R-O-T-A-R-Y" for fellow Fort Scott Rotarians -- for possibly the thousandth time. She's been doing it weekly for so many decades, no one can determine the exact date she began...

Fort Scott Area Community Foundation 2011 grant recipients include: (back row, left to right) Cynthia McFarlin (Friends of the Fort), Alice Maffett (Be the Match Bone Marrow Registry), Vickie Chaplin (Big Brothers/Big Sisters), Ginger Norris (Big Brothers/Big Sisters), Jean Tucker (First United Methodist Church Wednesday night meal), Koyle Link (First United Methodist Church Wednesday night meal) and Alene Jolly (Tri Valley); (front row, left to right) Barbara McCord (Tri Valley), Ashley Cook (Lowell Milken Center), Ann Ackerman (BoCo Coalition), Wilma Leach (Mother to Mother -- received a Grant awarded by the Community Foundation of SEK) and Christa Horn (CASA). ...

The Fort Scott Community College volleyball season finished much differently than in years past. The Greyhounds concluded their season with wins over Cottey and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M the weekend of Oct. 28-29. Last year, the Greyhounds finished with a 5-29 record. This year's team was bound and determined to start a new tradition, a tradition of winning. They did exactly that, finishing with a record of 25-10...

The Fort Scott Community College Women's Basketball program is sponsoring the Toys for Totscommunity service project again this year. This is the second year the Greyhounds will be helping Toys for Tots since the resurgence of the charity to Bourbon County last season. The 'Hounds have volunteered to be in charge of the entire city of Fort Scott and have placed donation boxes throughout town. Community members are asked to donate a toy at one of the drop-off locations...