Stories from Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Family members, law enforcement officers, emergency personnel and area residents said goodbye to one of Bourbon County's most upstanding citizens on Monday. About 400 people crowded into the First Southern Baptist Church Monday morning to pay a final tribute to Bourbon County Sheriff's Deputy John Taylor, 53, Fort Scott. ...

The USD 234 School Board's recent adoption of a new policy, caused some concern among the clergy at one local church. Community Christian Church Children's Pastor Paul Martin and church elders Steve Armstrong and Jerry Witt attended Monday night's board meeting to ask the board to reconsider a lunchroom visitor policy which was passed at the December board meeting. ...

A recent brief bout with cancer is not going to stop Sen.-elect Bob Marshall, R-Fort Scott, from heading to Topeka next week. "Don't worry, I'm going to be there," Marshall told The Fort Scott Tribune on Monday. Marshall, who is scheduled to be sworn into the Kansas Senate District 13 seat on Jan. 12, said Monday that he had a cancerous tumor removed from one of his vocal cords not long after the November general election in which he defeated Patty Horgan, D-Pittsburg, for the position...

Dr. John Harold Spencer, 61, of Fort Scott, died Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009. John was born in Emporia, Kan. in 1947 to Dr. Harold and Margaret Spencer. He graduated from the College of Emporia in 1970 (of which he is a member of the alumni board), and went on to attend KU Medical School...

Johnny Dale Taylor, age 53, a resident of Fort Scott, died Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2008, at the Skaggs Hospital in Branson, Mo., following a lengthy cancer illness. He was born Nov. 18, 1955 in Mayfield, Kentucky, the son of Robert Dean Taylor and Jean Suttles Taylor. John was a 1974 graduate of Fort Scott High School. He married Evelyn Charley on Jan. 4, 1983 in Miami, Okla...

Juanita Joan Jackson, age 77, a resident of rural Redfield, Kan., died Sunday, Jan. 4, 2009, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. She was born Dec. 16, 1931, in Bourbon County, Kan., the daughter of Lloyd Biles, Sr. and Vera Biles...

Stella May Wehar, age 71, a resident of rural Fort Scott, Kan., died early Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009, at her home following a lengthy illness. She was born Feb. 8, 1937, in Fort Scott, Kan., the daughter of Robert Rivers Holt and Dora Agnes Moore Holt...

Carl Clyne Elliott, age 91, a former resident of Fort Scott and more recently of Shawnee, Kan., died Friday, Jan. 2, 2009, at the Garden Terrace Nursing Home of Overland Park. He was born Aug. 19, 1917, in Galt, Ontario, Canada, the son of William Harrison Elliott and Hattie M. Gill Elliott...

Larry M. Prather, 60, of Fort Scott, died early Tuesday morning, Dec. 30, 2008 in Kansas City at the KU Medical Center. He was born on September 7, 1948 in Fort Scott, the son of Charles Morgan and Mildred Louise (Goddard) Prather. Larry is survived by a son, Fred Prather and two grandchildren, all of Fort Scott. He was preceded in death by his parents...

Of the eight nursing homes located in or within 25 miles of Fort Scott, none received a five-star rating through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services nursing home comparison Web site, www.medicare.gov. The site, launched last month, offers a rating system designed to provide families looking for a nursing home facility with additional information about the home's quality standards. ...

By Michael Pommier The Fort Scott Tribune Despite covering issues of Commissioner term limits and the local cable company, the main focus of Tuesday night's meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission was the Fort Scott Municipal Airport master plan update...

By Michael Pommier The Fort Scott Tribune The Fort Scott City Commission has three seats up for election in April. Two of the three commissioners have chosen not to pursue their seat. Commissioner Jim Adams, however, announced Friday he will run for a second term. Adams is coming off a two year term with the commission. He said he was undecided until the weekend when he talked it over with friends...

Many interesting events occurred in 2008, and more are sure to come in 2009. As a look back at the past 12 months, the Tribune is presenting a month-by-month review of some of the more noteworthy stories of 2008. The following are just some stories that happened each month during the first half of 2008. Look for a review of the second half of 2008, as well as a story recapping one of Fort Scott's biggest stories of the year, in upcoming editions of the Tribune.

By Rayma Silvers The Fort Scott Tribune Larry and Natonya Beerbower, Uniontown, received two special surprises within the last nine months. According to Natonya, the couple had talked about having another baby. However, they decided against it, fearing they would not be able to afford a sixth child. ...

LeROY -- Uniontown's boys improved to 4-2 on the season with a 56-46 non-league victory over Southern Coffey County here Monday night. Uniontown's girls lost to SCC, 68-42. Southern Coffey County is the defending Three Rivers League girls' champion but left the TRL this season to join the Lyon County League...

CHANUTE -- Fort Scott High's girls continue to lead the Southeast Kansas League after a 42-27 win over Chanute here Tuesday night. It was the first time the teams had met in Chanute's new gymnasium. The Tigers (4-0 SEK, 5-2 overall), winners of five straight games, saw junior Jolee Sharp scored 21 points as she went 10 of 13 from the field while hauling down 12 rebounds...

CHANUTE -- Fort Scott High's defense held Chanute without a field goal in the fourth quarter of a Southeast Kansas League battle here Tuesday night and went on to a 52-37 victory in the first battle between the Tigers and Blue Comets in the new Chanute High School gymnasium...