Stories from Friday, January 8, 2016

The Fort Scott High School Winter Homecoming activities begin today with an assembly at the school. The king and queen will be announced tonight during a ceremony held between the girls' and boys' varsity baskeball games against Labette County. The "Snow Ball" will be from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday...

Fort Scott City Commissioners have approved a slate of improvement projects to take place the next several years at the Fort Scott Municipal Airport. On Tuesday, commissioners approved a five-year capital improvement plan for the airport and talked briefly about other airport projects. The plan, which runs from 2017 to 2021, includes projects ranging from replacement of lighting systems in 2018 to possible runway extension in 2020-21...

The Fort Scott High School National Honor Society chapter is trying to leave an impact on their community, Garrett Tatro, said. Tatro, a 2016 senior and NHS vice president, spoke to the Bourbon County Coalition Wednesday about a project NHS initiated this year...

Pittsburg won three of the four games played at the Fort Scott Middle School gymnasium Thursday night as boys' basketball season opened with four home games for FSMS. The Tigers' lone victory came in the eighth-grade "B" game by a score of 24-23 in double overtime. The seventh-grade "B" Team fell 28-9 in the evening's opener. The seventh-grade "A" team dropped a 39-34 decision. And the eighth-grade "A" team fell in the closing minute, 40-39...

A. Marie (Hopkins) VanMeter passed away peacefully, after a long illness, in St. Paul, Minn., on Thursday, Dec. 24, 2015 surrounded by her family. Marie was born in Stilwell, Okla., and resided in Apple Valley, Minn., after spending several years traveling the country with her husband, visiting family and seeing America. Prior to Apple Valley, she called Fort Scott, Kan., home...

Juanita F. Ogle, 89, of Fort Scott, died Friday morning, Jan. 8, 2016 at Medicalodge. Arrangements are incomplete and will be announced later by the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home.

Rev. Dennis Howard Matthews, age 66, a resident of Bronson, Kan., died Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2016, at his home in Bronson. He was born July 17, 1949, in Mt. Vernon, Ill., the son of Oscar Eugene Matthews and Ruby Marie Lane Matthews. He was raised in the Boyleston Community near Fairfield, Ill. ...

Chelsea Alexa Hood, age 24, of Nevada, Mo., passed from this life on Jan. 6, 2016 at The University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. She was born July 30, 1991 in Osceola, Mo., the daughter of Cory Eugene Hood and Brenda Gene (Taylor) Pettit both of whom survive...

Gladys Marie (Lowry) Barnes was born on May 14, 1941 in Bartlesville, Okla., at Memorial Hospital. Gladys went to Heaven on Jan. 6, 2016 after a long illness. Her mother is Josephine Elizabeth (Perkins) Lowry and her father is Charles Grayson Lowry. ...