Stories from Thursday, May 15, 2008

With the Kansas Forest Service tree program coming to a close earlier in the month and several citizens soon to be receiving street trees from the City of Fort Scott, I have decided to base this week's article on newly planted tree care. Until trees reach three to four years old, transplants need special care when summer weather turns hot, dry and windy...

An interesting -- but perhaps not widely known -- fact is, that a significant percentage of our nation's farmland is owned, co-owned, and/or operated by women. According to a Census Bureau report (using stats from prior reports as the 2007-2008 census data has not yet been tabulated), farm owner/operators control and operate approximately 55 percent of farmland, while landlords who lease their land to others account for the 45 percent balance...

Lawrence "Bugs" George, President, called the meeting of the Uniontown Ruritan Club to order on April 21, 2008, in the Fellowship Hall of the Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Vice-President Dale Jackson led the club in singing "America" after which, Kenneth Holt gave the invocation. President George thanked the women of the church for the delicious meal of roast pork, potatoes, gravy, corn, salad, hot rolls and pie...

At the May meeting of the Hiattville 4-H Club, Bethany Ericson (in the middle), shared her experiences of her trip to the Kansas City Global Conference March 12 thru March 15. She enjoyed learning about dental careers, visiting a test kitchen, and meeting other 4-Hers from Arkansas, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Kansas. Her favorite event was attending the Ethnic Enrichment Festival...

100 YEARS AGO (1908) Superintendent D.M. Brown, of the city schools, announces something rather unique as a "last day of school" exercise. The schools will close one week from Friday and the afternoon of that day will be given over to an outing at Fern Lake Park in which 2,000 students with their parents and teachers are to participate. ...

Thanking the community To the Editor, The Ft. Scott Kiwanis Pioneer Club, the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce and the Ministerial Alliance would like to thank those who attended the recent annual Community Prayer Breakfast, which was held on May 1. Approximately 175 people were in attendance. ...

MOORE -- Jeff Russell Gordon Moore, a boy, was born at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott at 11:02 a.m., Wednesday, May 14, 2008, to parents Ethel Rose and Russell J. Moore, Uniontown. He weighed 8 pounds, 3 ounces at birth. He joins three sisters, Angela, Samantha, and Robin. Maternal grandmother is Esther Pridey, Fort Scott. Maternal great-grandmother is Esthel Whitaker, Oakville, Iowa. Paternal grandmother is Mary Moore, Uniontown...

BECKER -- Christopher Wayne Becker, a boy, was born at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott at 11:37 a.m., Tuesday, May 13, 2008, to mother Laura Tucker, Mound City. He weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces at birth. He joins siblings Alexis and Kyleigh. Maternal grandparents are Earl and Kathy Becker, Uniontown. Maternal great-grandfather is RC Farrill, Mound City...

TOPEKA -- The Kansas Volleyball Association released its 2007 All-Academic Team Tuesday afternoon with several Fort Scott and Uniontown players receiving honors. Fort Scott juniors Brittany Bingesser and Kori Page Rienbolt and Uniontown sophomore Abbie Smith received first team honors. Fort Scott senior Ashley Cavin and junior Shelby Nafzger and Uniontown senior Riley Stephens, junior Kennda Phillips and sophomores Rayma Ridge and Taylor Rathbun were named to the honorable mention list...

YATES CENTER -- Uniontown's first season of softball came to an end here Tuesday in a semifinal of the Yates Center Class 2-1A Regional Softball Tournament at Kluendor Field. Yates Center's pitcher, Heffern, held the Eagles (7-6) to one hit, which came off the bat of Cassie Schwalm, as the Wildcats took a 6-0 win...

Pittsburg is the winner of the 2008 Martin Rohde Award, a trophy given out by the Southeast Kansas League each season to the school that performs the best in the 15 sports the league sponsors. Rohde was a coach and educator in Pittsburg for many years. The first award in his honor was handed out after the 1976-77 school year...

One local resident is spearheading an effort to aid families affected by deadly tornadoes that ripped through portions of Northeast Oklahoma and Southwest Missouri last weekend. Angela Carpenter, an employee of Firstsource, a local health insurance claims company, said Wednesday that she and other volunteers plan to accept donations of needed items from 9 a.m. ...

While most high school graduates are celebrating their high school graduations with parties, Fort Scott High School senior Sarah Gray has chosen to celebrate her graduation with a display of the talent that earned her a music scholarship to Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo...

When asked how his first four weeks as Fort Scott's new city manager, Joe Turner simply smiled and said with a laugh "busy. Can't you see?" Numerous piles of paper are neatly stacked on the conference room table next door to Turner's office at City Hall. His desk also has multiple papers sprawled out...

Founding members of the now internationally known play, "Life in a Jar" gathered on Tuesday night to remember the person who inspired the project. Irena Sendler, who died Monday, at the age of 98, is responsible for saving the lives of 2,500 Jewish children from the Nazi party during World War II...

While most high school graduates are celebrating their high school graduations with parties, Fort Scott High School senior Sarah Gray has chosen to celebrate her graduation with a display of the talent that earned her a music scholarship to Missouri State University in Springfield, Mo...