Stories from Thursday, June 11, 2009

Velma V. Reavis, age 88, a former resident of Fort Scott and more recently of Girard, died Tuesday, June 9, 2009, at the Heritage Nursing Home, Girard, Kansas. She was born April 25, 1921, in Bates County, Missouri, the daughter of Charles E. Vermillion and Lilly May Bolling Vermillion...

RICHWINE -- Nancy Linnenbrink and Jacob Richwine, Fort Scott, and big sister Alicia, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter and sister, Emily Elise Richwine. Emily was born at 12:15 p.m., Wednesday, June 10, 2009 at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott...

Hundreds of people around the world will take time out of their busy schedules on Saturday to participate in the largest knitting event in the world. Local knitters are invited to participate in the World Wide Knit in Public Day from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the Heritage Park Pavilion, located at the corner of First and Main streets on Saturday, June 13...

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., has helped introduce legislation requiring the U.S. Department of Treasury to distribute to individual taxpayers all its stock in General Motors and Chrysler within one year following the emergence of the companies from bankruptcy proceedings...

Area residents who are looking for cost-saving ideas to help provide water to their livestock, are invited to a tire tank installation demonstration. According to a press release from Kansas State Watershed Specialist Herschel George, the Marmaton Watershed Restoration and Protection Strategy (WRAPS) , Bourbon County Conservation District, Bourbon County K-State Research and Extension office and Bourbon County Farm Bureau will be sponsoring a hands-on demonstration that will show residents how to convert a heavy equipment tire to a livestock tank at 8 a.m. ...

Shoveling mud, pulling roots and painting -- the Young Professionals League is making a difference in the community one project at a time. Despite heavy storms that passed through Fort Scott on Tuesday, members of the YPL assembled at the basketball court just west of Fort Scott Christian Heights Tuesday evening. The goal was to clean and fix the court so that it is useable for the for students at FSCH and the neighborhood youth, according to YPL Chair Megan Felt...

Several Mercy Health System of Kansas programs, including two at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott, were recently named recipients of grant funding through the Sisters of Mercy Health System "Mercy Caritas" program. MHSK programs and services that received funding include the Mercy Courtesy Transportation Service operated at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott, and Mercy Homecare services in Independence and Fort Scott. ...

After a fire destroyed much of her home on Monday afternoon, local resident Kala Scott is trying to pick up the pieces and move forward. Around noon on Monday, seven firefighters from the Fort Scott Fire Department responded with three fire engines to Scott's residence, 116 Arthur, to extinguish a structure fire...

MOUND CITY -- As a result of budget cuts by the Kansas Legislature, the Sixth Judicial District, serving Linn, Bourbon and Miami counties, has lost all state-funded temporary and part-time employees. The work they performed now has to be done by court clerks and deputy clerks...

The 13th Annual Echoes of the Trail Cowboy Gathering, which begins Friday, will feature several weekend activities and events. The event begins at 7 p.m. Friday at Fort Scott Community College, 2108 S. Horton St., with performances of special cowboy and western music, and will conclude at 10 a.m. Sunday with a morning church service and chuck wagon breakfast. Several vendors will also be present throughout the weekend to sell various pottery and craft items...

In the early morning and evening hours, Janet Braun can often be found relaxing among the many flowers and statues in Nana's Garden. During the 2009 Secret Gardens of Bourbon County tour on June 20-21, visitors to 1606 Clairmont, will find an island garden nestled in Braun's backyard. ...

A new discovery has put the repairs to the retaining wall on National Avenue near 7th Street on hold. Fort Scott City Manager Joe Turner said the retaining wall project has been put on hold because of the discovery of a separated drainage pipe beneath the portion of National Avenue where the retaining wall is located. The broken pipe needs to be fixed before moving forward, he said...