Stories from Friday, May 11, 2007

The nation heard a cry for help from Greensburg late last week as an EF5 tornado destroyed nearly 90 percent of the small southwestern Kansas town. Earlier this week, Fort Scott and Bourbon County answered that call. On Tuesday, four local law enforcement officers traveled west to assist with the security of the Greensburg area while the cleanup and rebuilding of the town takes place. ...

Kansas is among 30 states that are charter members of The Climate Registry, marking the largest multi-state effort to address climate change. The list of charter members includes the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, Wyoming and the Campo Kumeyaay Nation. ...

A second Fort Scott man has been charged in connection to raping a 13-year-old multiple times at an apartment on Andrick Street. The Bourbon County Attorney's Office alleges George E. Skaggs, 23, raped and sodomized the 13-year-old on April 2. ...

Richard "Rich" G. Bonner, age 57, loving husband, son, brother, uncle, and friend passed away Monday, May 7, 2007. Richard was born on May 13, 1949, in Joplin, Missouri. He was raised in Fort Scott. Richard graduated from Campus High School in Haysville...

100 YEARS AGO (1907) William Beth, who has lived in Bourbon County for 67 years, was in Fort Scott today from his farm near Fulton. He is a strong vigorous man, stands six feet high, and doesn't appear to be more than 55 or 60. He is familiar with the incidents of the border troubles of the forties and fifties. He cites incidents of the early struggles between the Jayhawkers and raiders...

A $1,000 grand prize is being offered in a new poetry contest sponsored by Celestial Arts and is free to everyone. To enter, send one poem, 21 lines or less to: Celestial Arts, 1257 Siskiyou Blvd., No. 4, Ashland, OR 97520 or enter online at www. freecontest. com. Be sure your name and address appears on the page with your poem. Deadline is May 31...

Tribune Staff Report The Southeast Kansas Education Service Center has announced that local school districts USD- 234 Fort Scott and USD- 235 Uniontown are accepting applications for their free four year old preschool programs for the 2007- 08 school year. This free preschool will provide fun-filled, hands on opportunities and experiences to enhance a child's cognitive, language, social, emotional and physical development in preparation for kindergarten...

On Saturday, May 5, the season came to a conclusion for the Fort Scott High School forensics squad. The Tigers ended the year with an impressive third place state finish to go along with their state runner-up finish in debate. The team started hot and was in a two-way tie for first after round one. ...

Note: This is the second article in a two-part series on the legislative forum conducted Tuesday at the Fort Scott Inn. Three members of the Kansas Legislature answered questions on topics ranging from property assessments, to state debt and high gas prices in Kansas during a Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored legislative forum called "Issues After Hours" on Tuesday...

Fort Scott splits with Mother Nature