Stories from Friday, April 10, 2015

PITTSBURG -- Fort Scott High School's junior varsity track teams each finished second at the Pittsburg Invitational here Tuesday. Tiger boys scored 126 points in finishing runner-up to Labette County's 163. Fort Scott's girls scored 117 points to Pittsburg's 125...

SPRING HILL -- Raifen Cruse took the No. 1 singles division at the Spring Hill Invitational here Tuesday, earning the Fort Scott High School player his first varsity championship. Cruse (8-6) was 3-0 in the four-team tournament. He beat Mason Jelliff of Baldwin easily, 8-1. He downed Spring Hill's Jacob Crabtree in a tie-breaker, 8-7 (1). And he edged out Lansing's Sam Crawford, 8-6...

OSWEGO -- Uniontown's boys' track team captured the Oswego meet Tuesday, with the girls also getting a number of top placings. "We had a great day of track," UHS coach Jackie Hall said. "Our athletes competed well, even in the windy conditions. "Our boys' team finished in first place. It has been several years since either of our teams have brought home a plaque from this meet."...

Fort Scott Community College's softball team is on a four-game winning streak after sweeping a Jayhawk Conference-Eastern Division doubleheader at Allen Tuesday and doing the same to Cottey College in a make-up twinbill Thursday. The Greyhounds will be on the road today and Saturday playing conference doubleheaders at Hesston and Hutchinson...

Fort Scott, company is coming. Let's tidy up. Businesses were asked to spruce up storefronts in preparation for the Fort Scott High School All School Reunion the last weekend in June during the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Quarterly Downtown Meet and Greet Tuesday, hosted by Bibs and Dibs consignment store...

Representative Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) was on hand for the opening of the LaRoche Baseball Complex Tuesday afternoon and told reporters on hand that the facility looks nothing like she envisioned it would when she was in Fort Scott just prior to construction...

A proposed dog park in Fort Scott now has a home. The Fort Scott City Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved location of a three-acre fenced dog park on a piece of land inside Gunn Park. Commissioners discussed the dog park and also heard from project coordinator Martha Scott, who requested approval for the location and to explain the reasons she believes the dog park would be an asset to the community, "just like a skatepark or a ballpark."...

Luke and Samantha Shepard of Uniontown announce the birth of their daughter, Scotti Jane Shepard, at 3:10 p.m. Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott. She weighed 7 pounds, 11.5 ounces and measured 20.5 inches at birth.

Jerald "Jerry" D. Brunk, age 82 years, of Clinton, Mo., passed away Friday, April 3, 2015, at his home. Jerry's wishes were to be cremated. Fond memories and condolences can be left online at http://www.vansant-millsfuneralhome.com Jerry was born April 20, 1932 in Crawford County, Kan., the son of Delbert and Susie (Elliott) Brunk. ...

I.H. "Cope" Copeland, 88, of Parsons, died Saturday, April 4, 2015 in Parsons. He was born in McAlester, Okla., on Sept. 5, 1926 and grew up there. He worked for the M-K-T Railroad for many years, retiring in 1972 as signal supervisor. He had lived in Parsons since 1967. He served in the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946...

Terry Michael Smethers, age 73, Mound City, Kansas passed away on Monday, April 6, 2015 at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He was born on November 9, 1941 at Iola, Kansas the son of Delbert and Elnora Herynk Smethers. He graduated from Kincaid High School and attended Washburn University and Clark Business College. ...

Adam LaRoche wanted to build a baseball field in Fort Scott. He wanted it to be one of the best around and included many things from ballparks he's seen in his baseball life. There was one thing that snuck by him when the complex was dedicated Tuesday afternoon before Fort Scott High School's baseball team took on Louisburg in the first games played at the field named for his uncle, Dave Regan. ...