Stories from Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Bourbon County Commissioners opened bids Monday for replacing a portion of the boiler and moving air conditioning units on the county attorney's office. Design Mechanical Inc., of Kansas City, Kan., was the only bidder for the boiler work. The company bid $9,754, which is less money than the county had expected to repair one leaky boiler section. The company originally estimated the cost would be $12,000...

The Dallas Brass ensemble performs a song accompanied by Fort Scott Community College and Fort High School band members. Conducting is FSCC band instructor Michael Dzbenski. The concert was scheduled for Sunday but, due to inclement weather, took place Monday evening at the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center on the campus of FSCC...

Kathy White of La Cygne and Patty Coleman of Prescott listen to homeowner Gypsy O'Neal tell the history of her home, which was part of the Homes for the Holiday tour sponsored by the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County. The tour began Friday with a Moonlight and Mistletoe Tour at the Blocker Mansion, owned by Dale and Brooke Blocker. On Saturday and Sunday, the tour also included the Lyons Twin Mansions and the home of Dr. John and Jordan Fox...

The world lost an important figure Thursday, Dec. 5, with the death of Nelson Mandela. Mandela, a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, politician and philanthropist, and controversial figure for much of his life, died in his home in Johannesburg of a lung infection at the age of 95. His death was announced by current South African President Jacob Zuma...

Betty Pearl Sackett, 72, of Fort Scott, died Sunday evening, Dec. 8, 2013 at the Fort Scott Manor Nursing Home. Funeral arrangements for Betty Sackett are incomplete and will be announced later by the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.

Richard Lavon Kerley, age 84, resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, at Fort Scott Manor. He was born March 15, 1929, in Fort Scott, the son of Harvey Kerley and Stella Dunn Kerley. He graduated from Fort Scott High School with the class of 1948. ...

Thelma Mae Troth, age 93, Pleasanton, Kan., passed away Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013 at her home of 74 years after being under the care of her faithful daughter Carolyn for the past two years. Thelma was born on April 5, 1920 in the Wall Street Area near Mound City, Kan., the daughter of Ira and Etta Parks Paddock. ...

Helen J. Sailors, age 94, resident of Presbyterian Village, Fort Scott, Kan., died Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, at Fort Scott Mercy Hospital. She was born Dec. 3, 1919 in Cedar Vale, Kan., the daughter of Ben H. Sheldon and Frances Gaston Sheldon. Helen graduated from high school and attended one year at Pittsburg State University. ...

Wilma June Sampson, age 91, a resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died early Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, at the home of her daughter near Devon, Kan. She was born Nov. 12, 1922, in Oil Hill, Kan., the daughter of Walter Woodson Burch and Mildred Irene Harper Burch. ...

M. Gertrude Moore, age 98, a resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013, at the Guest Home Estates in Fort Scott. She was born Dec. 16, 1914, in Mountain View, Mo., the daughter of Charles Thomas Allen and Eunice Naomi Smith Allen. She married Timothy Mac Moore on June 7, 1933, at Nevada, Mo. ...

Floyd Harold Cosens, age 91, of Pleasanton, Kan., died unexpectedly at his home Sunday, Dec. 8, 2013. He was born on March 5, 1922 in rural Prescott, Kan., the son of Fred R. and Florence Wilson Cosens. He grew up helping his father on a farm near Mantey, Kan., and attended Prescott High School where he was a very good athlete and played on the state basketball team, graduating in the Class of 1941. ...

IOLA -- Fort Scott Middle School's girls basketball teams won three of four games against Iola here Thursday. The seventh-grade "A" team and both eighth-grade teams posted victories. The day began with a narrow loss for the seventh-grade "B" team by a score of 12-8. Kelcie Bailey led the Tigers (3-2) with 3 points...

WILLARD, Mo. -- Fort Scott High School's girls broke a nine-game tournament losing streak when they beat host Willard, 61-40, here Saturday on the final day of the Four-State Classic. Fort Scott's boys lost their fifth straight tournament game, 62-30, to the host team. The game was played out with a "turboclock" in the fourth quarter...

Fourth place, obviously, wasn't where Fort Scott High School wrestling coach David Brown hoped to see his team at the end of the Fort Scott Dual Tournament at the FSHS gymnasium Saturday afternoon. The Tigers had a chance to win the team title going into the final match. But so many teams were doing so well that in the end, when Fort Scott lost to Blue Valley Southwest in the final round, they fell to fourth in the six-team field on tie-breakers...

Just when it appeared that Fort Scott Community College's women were righting the ship, Neosho County turned in a 15-0 run late in the first half to take control again on its way to a 78-63 win in a non-conference game at Arnold Arena Monday night. The Greyhounds (6-5), who have lost four of their last six games following a 4-1 start, trailed 10-4 with 12:37 left in the first half. ...

Fort Scott Community College's men reached the 100-point barrier for the first time since March of 2006 as the Greyhounds battered the Central Christian College junior varsity, 101-65, at Arnold Arena Monday night. Fort Scott's last 100-point night was March 3, 2006, when the 'Hounds outgunned Labette, 109-96, at Arnold Arena. There were 201 games between that contest and Monday's...