Stories from Friday, January 9, 2009

It's been four months, four weeks and one day since four million pennies, thousands of individuals, dozens of organizations, a handful of Youth Activity Team members and one Guinness World Record records manager built a 40-mile chain, connecting an entire region of Kansas...

After months of noise, road closures, and inconvenience Fort Scott residents can see the "light" at the end of the tunnel. At approximately 6 p.m. the brand new street lights of downtown Fort Scott were turned on for the first time. Director of Economic Development Dale Bunn said the completion of the lights is a climax of the project...

Conner, Billy Ray, 40, of 1729 E Wall, Fort Scott, was arrested by the Fort Scott Police Department on Friday, Dec. 26, at 4:05 p.m. for driving while suspended and transporting an open container. Conner was released later that same day at 6:31 p.m. on a $750 bond...

Donald Eugene Leatherman, age 81, former resident of Vernon County, Mo., and more recently of Fort Scott, died Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, at the Mercy Health Center Emergency Room. He was born September 2, 1927, in Arcadia, Kan., the son of Otis Leatherman and Pearl Lahman Leatherman...

STEWART -- Brian and Megan Stewart, Bronson, and Jakeob, Brycen and Heston, are proud to announce the birth of their son and brother, Ryeker Lane Stewart. Ryeker was born at 8:12 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009, at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott. He weighed 7 pounds 8 1/2 ounces and was 20 1/2 inches in length at birth...

AIKIN -- Kent D. and Kacie L. Aikin, Fort Scott, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Kyndal Leann Aikin. Kyndal was born at 6:50 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2009, at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott. She weighed 7 pounds, 15 1/2 ounces at birth...

RENFRO -- Ryan and Emily Renfro, Fort Scott, and sister Madeline, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter and sister, Olivia Beth Renfro. Olivia was born at 10:39 a.m., Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott. She weighed 7 pounds, 1 ounce and was 20 inches long at birth...

100 YEARS AGO (1909) Lon Hornaday had a severe fall at his stock ranch northeast of town yesterday. He was carrying an armload of lumber when he stumbled and fell. His nose was almost broken and badly skinned and his knee was hurt. Mr. Hornaday was in own today looking as if he had been in a prize fight...

Meredith Hill, a student at Fort Scott Middle School, has been accepted into People to People World Leadership Forum. Hill will join a select group of students in Washington D.C., Sept. 14-19, to study leadership and explore some of the United States most prominent monuments and institutions...

Editor's Note: This the second of a two part story. The first part ran on Dec. 11. All that week the clean up from the 26 inch snow continued, and the kids had a magical winter wonder land to play in. The whole town seemed to be surrounded by an army of snowmen. They seemed to march from one yard to the next, and came in every size and shape...

The Bourbon County Court Appointed Special Advocates agency is greatly in need of volunteer assistance, CASA officials said Wednesday. "It's that time of year again where we just get so inundated with cases," CASA Program Director Christa Horn said. "I have to tell the court 'no' on accepting new cases because we don't have enough volunteers. And it just breaks my heart because I think every child deserves a volunteer. It's not fair to a child."...

The Fort Scott Police Department, in conjunction with USD 234, is preparing for the unthinkable. Although the local area has not experienced any school or community violence which could be classified as an active shooter incident, local police and school officials are conducting an active shooter training session in order to be prepared should an unimaginable act of violence find its way to Fort Scott...

Fort Scott High School's basketball games scheduled to take place tonight (Friday) at Parsons have been postponed due to a power failure at Parsons High School. No make-up date has been announced as of this time. Tiger teams will host Iola Tuesday night at the FSHS gymnasium...

ERIE, Kan. -- Uniontown's basketball teams were swept at the hands of the Erie Red Devils on non-league basketball games here Friday night. Eagle girls lost 55-44 while the boys fell 53-44. The girls' contest was tied at 34-34 going into the fourth quarter. But Erie ended up going to the free-throw line over 20 times in the final stanza...