Stories from Tuesday, December 30, 2008

About 4,200 area students will soon have to leave the rest and relaxation of the holiday break behind as they prepare to head back to class. Thousands of local public, private and parochial school students, as well as college-aged students, will jump back into their normal school routines within the next couple of weeks...

As "Old Man Winter" brings cold weather homeowners should take care to keep water pipes from freezing. According to an article by the Insurance Journal, an average of 250,000 American families have one or more rooms in their homes ruined by water pipes freezing and breaking...

David and Addi Foster, Fort Scott, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, Mayla Maddison Foster. Mayla was born at Mercy Health Center at 11:45 a.m., Monday, Dec. 29. She weighed seven pounds, 10 ounces at birth. Maternal grandparents are Doug and Denise Whiteakel, Fort Scott...

Lindsey Lane and Randy Forester, Fort Scott, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter, April Marie Forester. April was born at Mercy Health Center at 11:12 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 28. She weighed eight pound, six ounces at birth. Maternal grandparents are Bob and Sue Lane, Ocheyedan, Iowa...

Kitty Nadine and Norman Duain Fowler, Fort Scott, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter Xandria Nacole Fowler. Xandria was born at Mercy Health Center at 4:21 a.m., Sunday, Dec. 28. She weighed eight pounds, nine ounces and was 21 inches tall at birth...

Mark Edward Wiggans, age 51, resident of 1545 215th Street, Fort Scott, Kan., died Saturday, December 27, 2008, at Mercy Health Center following a cancer illness. He was born February 10, 1957, in Fort Scott, the son of Robert Wiggans and Doris Spaur Wiggans. He worked for 22 years at Tower Metal. Mark was a member of the Devon Rural Fire Department and the Fort Scott Elks Lodge. His hobbies included fishing and constructing metal equipment...

Luella Elizabeth Bigelow, 92, of Fort Scott, died at the Medicalodge Nursing Home in Fort Scott, Saturday evening, December 27, 2008. She was born March 17, 1916 in Hiattville, Kan., the daughter of Harry and Tillie Elizabeth (Humphrey) Wescoatt. She married C.W. 'Bill' Bigelow October 15, 1938 in Columbus, Kansas. He preceded her in death June 13, 1988...

100 YEARS AGO (1908) There are 519 women in Fort Scott entitled to vote at the coming spring election, according to City Clerk Brown. This is the same number that voted one year ago at the spring election. Dr. Ingraham, of south of the city, butchered two large hogs for his family's winter use. ...

Editor's note: The following is the first of a two-part story which took place in Fort Scott on Dec. 27. It was the Big Snow of 1954. The evening of Monday Dec. 27, Earl Ludlam -- the weather guy on TV -- predicted that we might receive a few flurries during the night, and possibly a dusting. That was the understatement of the year...

Fort Scott Presbyterian Village participated in the first Food Roundup, a competition conducted among employees of Presbyterian Manors of Mid-America geared toward collecting food items for food banks in Kansas and Missouri. Fort Scott Presbyterian Village along with 16 other locations and the home office in Wichita collected nearly 8,800 items for food banks in Kansas and Missouri...

Attorney General Steve Six and the Kansas AMBER Alert Taskforce Monday released two television and two radio public service announcements to increase awareness of the criteria for an AMBER Alert and the wireless alert system. The PSAs are to be aired in honor of AMBER Alert Day, Jan. 13...

Several area residents have reached across the miles to help provide relief to those in Kenya, Africa who cannot afford to pay for proper medical care. Because of the donations of caring people, medical supplies which were donated to equip a maternity hospital are finally on their way to Kenya. ...

By Rayma Silvers The Fort Scott Tribune Law enforcement officers from both the Fort Scott Police Department and the Bourbon County Sheriff's Department will begin the new year brushing up on their domestic violence training. On Tuesday, Jan. 20, local officers will travel to Pittsburg, Kan., to attend a domestic violence training session conducted by Sgt. ...

The Fort Scott Tribune According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline's Web site, www.ndvh.org, anyone can be a victim of domestic violence regardless of race, age, sexual orientation, religion or gender. Domestic violence can occur to couples who are married as well as those who are living together or those who are just dating...

By Michael Pommier The Fort Scott Tribune As 2008 comes to a close, both Bourbon County and City of Fort Scott governments are finding short falls in their year-end budgets. The Bourbon County Commission met Monday morning to host a public hearing on an amendment to Landfill fund. According to County Clerk Joanne Long, the reason for the increase was an increase in expenditures including a $20,000 land payment. Long said the Landfill Fund is funded by gate fees rather than tax dollars...

By Jason E. Silvers The Fort Scott Tribune Two long-time Wal-Mart employees said store manager Terry Files is someone who cares about his employees. "He's very family-oriented," 14-year associate Cindy Mack said of Files. "If there was a death in someone's family, he'd be at the funeral. If there was a birth, he'd come in and want to see all the pictures of the baby."...