Stories from Thursday, July 29, 2010

After nine hours of swimming in Iola last Saturday, the Hurricanes returned to the pool Sunday morning to capture their ninth straight Southeast Kansas League Swim Meet title. The meet was delayed Saturday evening when a sudden thunderstorm spawned. After three more hours of swimming Sunday morning in cooler temperatures, the Hurricanes came away victorious once again...

State Sen. Bob Marshall, R-Fort Scott, is one of 37 select lawmakers to complete a recent leadership training program earlier this month in Madison, Wis. The program identifies and assists emerging state and provincial leaders in the Midwest region of the United States and portions of Canada. ...

Through making some tough decisions toward the end of 2009, the Fort Scott City Commission made it easier to plan the 2011 budget. Due to a one mill decrease in the city's valuation -- total value of the properties in Fort Scott -- the city was facing a 3.5 mill levy increase to maintain the current operations into the 2011 year. Through several budget work sessions, the commission was able to decrease that amount to about 1.25 mills...

Local musicians Jim and Darlene Shoemaker will perform at 7 p.m. Friday at the Heritage Park Pavilion located at the corner of First and Main streets. The duo will play various songs from the 1940s and 50s, as well as old gospel favorites, on the piano and organ. Lou Simmons, a musician from Pleasanton, will also perform at the concert playing a Rickenbacker Double Neck Steel Guitar. He will play some solos including the "Steel Guitar Rag" and some songs with the Shoemakers...

The last Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign up was held in the spring of 2006. Since that time, a new farm bill was passed and a number of "continuous sign up" practices like filter strips and quail buffers have been the focus of the program. No general enrollment opportunities have been available during these intervening years...

The term "pesticide" can include herbicides, fungicides, or insecticides for home gardening, common agriculture, or right of ways. Some pesticides are labeled as "Restricted use Pesticides" or RUP. In 2008, there were over 10,131 products registered for use in Kansas, with over 316 of those classified as Restricted Use. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) determines if a product is a RUP based on potiental hazards to the applicator and the environment...

Hallie Eugene Ruby, age 78, resident of 316 S. Andrick, Fort Scott, Kan., died early Wednesday, July 28, 2010, at his home. Funeral arrangements for Hallie Ruby will be announced by Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main.

KEATING -- Eddie and Tonyia Keating, Louisburg, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Elle Sophia Keating. Elle was born May 19, 2010 at St. Luke's Hospital in Kansas City. She weighed 8 pounds, 4 ounces and was 20 inches in length at birth...

SCHARFF -- Elva Loyd and Taylor Scharff, Fort Scott, and siblings Sebastian, Dylan, Emily, Derek, Duane, Lindsay and Lauren, are proud to announce the birth of their son and brother, Nicholas Ryan Scharff. Nicholas was born at 8:07 a.m., July 20, 2010 at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott. He weighed 8 pounds, 2 1/2 ounces at birth...

TOPEKA -- Fort Scott High School 2010 graduates Jolee Sharp and Gary Floyd will take part in the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Games August 5 at Washburn University. The games have been moved from August 4 so they may be televised but, as of this writing, the Tribune has been unable to determine which TV station will be showing the games...

The Fort Scott Community College football team will begin the 2010 season at the No. 3 spot in the NJCAA Top 25 college football rankings, which were released Wednesday. The Greyhounds come off an 11-1 season and a final No. 2 national ranking in 2009, narrowly losing the Citizens Bank Bowl to Blinn (Texas), 31-26. FSCC went into the game ranked No. 1 but then-No. 2 Blinn rallied in the fourth quarter to claim the NJCAA national championship...

A local program aims to help several local residents stay cool during the ongoing heat wave. The Bourbon County Chapter of the American Red Cross recently announced that the Westar Energy Fan Program will be available to qualifying families and individuals in Bourbon County. The program provides free box fans that are disbursed to eligible individuals and families who meet certain qualifications...

PARSONS -- Southeast Kansas legislators toured the Kansas Army Ammunition Plant here Wednesday and got an inside look at how the 2005 Congressional Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC) is challenging the entire area. Sen. Bob Marshall, R-Fort Scott, and Rep. Bill Otto, R-Leroy, are joined by the Great Plains Development Authority CEO Dan Goddard and past chairman James McCarty, while they get a briefing on the history of the plant. A tour of the 14,000-acre facility followed...

The Fort Scott Skatepark Committee is now $4,000 closer to it's goal of $100,000