Stories from Tuesday, May 15, 2012

This story will begin with a trip down memory lane. It begins back in 1941. Yes, that is when FDR was president of the United States. The country hadn't recovered from the Great Depression and our country was really hurting. And then arrived the day of Dec. ...

In Theaters: Dark Shadows Johnny Depp teamed up with (surprise, surprise) Tim Burton in what was their eighth collaboration. And once again, their dark humor and exploration of the bleak side of the human psyche take the viewer on an interesting journey through a tunnel of morbid curiosity...

An interesting get-together of former Arcadians was told to me by my brother Jack Corporon, New York, of a family reunion held in Austin, Texas. Bill Turner, a retired lawyer from Kansas City, now living in California, was invited to attend a reunion with his sister Melba Lee and Jackie Burge from Kansas...

At the invitation of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, Ashley Nietfeld of Uniontown, was selected to attend the 29th Annual Governor's Scholars Awards Program on May 6, in Topeka. The recognition ceremony honors the top academic 1 percent of Kansas high school seniors. Scholars are selected from accredited public and private schools in the state...

Howard Lee Snyder, age 88, resident of rural Fort Scott, Kan., died Friday, May 11, 2012, at Mercy Hospital. He was born Nov. 22, 1923, in Harding, Kan., the son of Emeral Brant Snyder and Nondus Emma Townsend Snyder. Howard married Lucile Edna Augur on June 23, 1943, at Nevada, Mo...

John Kemper "J.K." Graham, 96, of Fort Scott died Thursday, May 10, 2012, at the Medicalodges Nursing Home. He was born April 12, 1916, in Fort Scott, Kan., the son of John William and Mary Lucy (Kemper) Graham. He married Juanita M. Cummings Dec. 25, 1935. She preceded him in death in 1968. He married Loretta M. Karleskint in Fort Scott in 1977 and she survives of the home...

John A. Gier, 90, of Chanute, Kan., passed away Monday, May 7, 2012, at Neosho Memorial Regional Medical Center in Chanute. John was born in Crawford County on May 25, 1921, the son of John Asberg and Millie Mae (Goff) Gier. John served in the US Army during WWII and was stationed in the Central Pacific, Ryukyus and the Philippines. He married Norma Joy Johnston in Hepler, Kan., on Dec. 20, 1945...

Jim Powell, 83, a resident of rural Fort Scott, died Monday, May 14, 2012, at the Guest Home Estates following a cancer illness. He was born Sept. 13, 1928, in Mapleton, Kan., the son of James Powell Sr. and Carrie Schmitz Powell. He married Hazel L. Lovell on June 5, 1954, at Fort Scott. She preceded him in death on July 20, 2004...

Ruth Doreen Banwart, 82, former resident of Fort Scott, died Sunday, May 13, 2012, at the Innisfree Health and Rehabilitation Center in Rogers, Ark. She was born July 30, 1929, in Bourbon County, Kan., the daughter of Earl Ivan Ater and Birdie Lillian Judy Ater. ...

Ashlen and Matt Wheeler, Fort Scott, and sibling Allisyn Wheeler are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter and sister Hadisyn Jane Hulbert at 4:48 a.m. May 10, 2012, at Mercy. Hadisyn Jane weighed 6 pounds and 13 ounces at birth. Maternal grandparents are Melissa and Warren Hulbert, Fort Scott...

Greg and Missy Scott, Hepler, announce the engagement of their daughter, Erica Scott, to Stetson Kern, son of Shane and Kristie Kern, Pleasanton, and Jay and Kim Martin, Lacygne. The bride is a 2012 graduate of Pittsburg State University and has a bachelor's degree in business administration...

Shelby Denise Brown, 19, Fulton, was arrested by the Fort Scott Police Department at 12:43 a.m. Friday on a warrant out of Vernon County and DUI. She is still being held at this time with no bond. Jeffrey Wayne Gourd, 34, Shawnee, was arrested by the Fort Scott Police Department at 12:27 a.m. Friday on a Bourbon County bench warrant for violation of a protection order. He is still being held at this time with no bond...

The 90th day of session was Friday, May 11. We will run late in finishing this session as redistricting and the budget are still to be completed. It is not unprecedented that the session has run late, it's just not common. The House and Senate had a unique day when members of the House were trying to concur on a Senate tax plan passed in March, while at the same time some Senators were trying to kill the tax conference committee report. ...

Everyone is different. Calorie needs depend on your age, gender and activity level. Ask 10 people what to eat to stay healthy and you will likely get 10 different answers. Often, it is our own limiting beliefs that hold us back from consuming a healthy diet...

Four students from Fort Scott Community College's Construction Trades and Harely-Davidson Motorcycle Technician programs will compete at the 48th National Leadership and Skills Conference, sponsored by SkillsUSA in Kansas City the week of June 23. Those students are: Syd Stokes, masonry (high school), Drew Tersinar, masonry (post-secondary), Ethan Mattlock, carpentry (post-secondary) and Mike Trankler, motorcycle (post-secondary)...

Early figures show city and rural letter carriers collected more than 4,000 pounds of food Saturday during the annual National Association of Letter Carriers "Stamp Out Hunger" food drive. Local mail carriers and residents participated in the event, the nation's largest one-day food drive. Carriers collected non-perishable food items that residents left near their mailboxes...

The circus is scheduled to be coming to town this week. Circus Pages, a family show based near Tampa, Fla., is scheduled to give performances at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Bourbon County Fairgrounds. Office Manager Yolanda Earhart said the circus visits every other year and rents the fairgrounds for its festivals. ...

Money was the issue at the USD 234 school board meeting on Monday night. District business manager Tiffany Forester gave board members a budget update for the 2012-2013 school year. Figuring on a three-year average, the district is projected to lose $139,860 in state aid next year because of lower enrollment, Forester said. The district is going to lose about 37 students next year...

In her new job as superintendent of USD 234, Diane Gross wants to build on what's already in place. "I hear there are some great things going on in the district and I want to find ways to sustain those programs and establish processes to build on those," Gross said in a phone interview. "My goal is to make all programs No. 1."...

The Ninth Annual Dave Regan Memorial Softball Tournament will be held June 2 as part of the activities of the 2012 Good Ol' Days. This men's slow-pitch tournament will be held at Ellis Park. Each team will be guaranteed a certain number of games, which depends on the size of the field, which is limited to 16 teams...

TOPEKA -- Fort Scott High School's Kyle Altic and Bryce Daly finished 1-2 at the Class 4A State Tennis Tournament here Friday while the Southeast Kansas League made a good showing as a whole with two teams finishing in the top five and a doubles team winning State...

OSAWATOMIE -- All six of Fort Scott High School's golfers will be going to the Class 4A State Tournament. This comes after the Tigers finished second at the Class 4A Osawatomie Regional Tournament here Monday afternoon. Only the top two teams qualify in Class 4A, so the Tigers had a narrow margin for error and they made it to State by two strokes. Paola was the team champion with a score of 325. Fort Scott was next at 338 with Spring Hill third with 340...

Anna Brumback and Josh Anderson, Fort Scott, and sibling Sofeea Leeann Anderson are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter and sister Lucillia Sueann Anderson at 9:13 a.m. May 11, 2012, at Mercy. Sofeea Leeann weighed 5 pounds and 14.5 ounces and measured 19.5 inches in length at birth. Maternal grandparents are Jon and Alicia Brumback, Fort Scott...