Stories from Wednesday, January 6, 2010

EVANS -- Charles and Sunshine Evans, Fort Scott, and siblings Aaron, Cassie, and Zach Evans, and Garrett, Madison and Colt Burk, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter and sister, Julissa Sunshine Evans. Julissa was born at 8:15 a.m., Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott...

David William Schnichels, age 77, resident of Fort Scott, died Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2010, at Fort Scott Medicalodge. Services for David Schnichels will be announced by Cheney Witt Chapel, Fort Scott.

Austin Bailey, 16, of Boy Scout Troop 114, Fort Scott, was recently honored at a special Eagle Scout Ceremony. To earn Scouting's highest award, Austin had to earn merit badges, serve as a leader in his troop and complete a major community service project...

Fort Scott High School's girls broke open a close game early in the second quarter and held visiting Chanute without a field goal for nearly 10 minutes during the second half as the Tigers took a 55-35 victory in Southeast Kansas League play at the FSHS gymnasium Tuesday night. It was the first game back from the holiday break for both teams...

Fort Scott High School's boys finally came out on top of a last-second finish Tuesday night as Gary Floyd rebounded a last-ditch Chanute shot to preserve a 57-56 Southeast Kansas League victory. The Tigers, who improved to 4-1 in the SEK and 5-3 overall, lost a pair of close games earlier in the season. ...

COLBY -- The promise of land attracted many adventurous spirits to Kansas in the 1800s. Melissa Alger was one of them. Alger, a single schoolteacher, journeyed to Thomas County to claim a homestead and to build a future. Alger's adventure west represents the American pioneer stories featured in the Smithsonian Institution traveling exhibition Journey Stories on display Jan. 8 through Feb. 21 at the Prairie Museum of Art and History, 1905 S. Franklin, Colby...

The Jackson Hewitt Tax Service will host a tax service open house event from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the business, 304 E. 23rd St. Attendees will be able to learn how various tax topics could impact different tax situations during the upcoming tax season. Key topics that will be discussed include the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and how it affects individuals and business owners, the Expanded Earned Income Child Tax Credit, and enhancements to education credits...

USD 234 will conduct preschool screenings for children up to 5 years of age on Jan. 15. Children may have vision, hearing, speech and communication, motor skills, socialization skills, and general development screened. The purpose of the screenings is to locate and identify children with possible developmental delays who may need special education preschool and/or related services. ...

Shawn and Collette Pittman are keeping the music playing downtown through the winter. The Pittmans, who are from Branson, Mo., are the managers of the Fort Scott Jamboree. The couple recently decided to re-open the weekly country music variety show, which began last April and ended in late November or early December. The Jamboree will now run year-round starting at 7:30 p.m. each Saturday at Memorial Hall, 1 E. Third St...

WASHINGTON -- U.S. Senator Sam Brownback, R-Kan. asked Congressional leadership to open final health care reform negotiations to the public and to C-SPAN cameras Tuesday morning. Brownback strongly opposed the process laid out by the Democratic leadership...

The 2010 Street and Sidewalk Improvement Program has not yet begun but is already seeing changes. Fort Scott City Manager Joe Turner addressed the Fort Scott City Commission Tuesday night to discuss a change of plans for the program which began in 2009 and will run through 2013 to make improvements to the streets and sidewalk in Fort Scott...

Due to inclement weather, the open house event scheduled to take place from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Jackson Hewitt Tax Service, 304 E. 23rd St., has been postponed. According to the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, the event has been rescheduled for 3 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13...

Word had swirled around since mid-December but Monday night, the USD 234 School Board made the return of Bob Campbell as Fort Scott High School's football coach official. However, Campbell won't be giving up his day job. He'll continue his work as a partner for BSD Financial, where he went to work after leaving FSHS after the 2005-06 school year...

The winners of the 2009 Light Up Fort Scott have been announced. Shannon Johnson took home the first place prize of $100 with Thom and Joyce Prue taking $50 for second place and John Killion taking $25 for third place. The winners were decided by votes cast by individuals riding Dolly the Trolley between Dec. 16 and Dec. 26. Approximately 75 official votes were cast this year...

The Bourbon County Chapter of the American Red Cross is also urging families to take actions to prepare homes and vehicles for hazardous winter weather. "Winter storms can be 'deceptive killers' since the majority of winter-related deaths are caused by events related to the heavy snowfall, high winds, and freezing rain that often accompanies them," Bourbon County Chapter of the American Red Cross Executive Director Whendi Martin said. ...

As temperatures drop across the region, the Bourbon County Chapter of the American Red Cross is urging residents to take steps to guard against hypothermia and other emergencies common during severely cold weather. "Winter can be a beautiful time of year in Fort Scott, but it also brings quiet dangers such as brutally cold temperatures," Whendi Martin, the chapter's executive director, said. ...

As of Dec. 18, 2009 the Fort Scott Downtown Historic District has officially been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Beginning in 2008 with the hire of Dale Nimz to prepare the nomination documents, the Fort Scott community has been working to recognize the Fort Scott downtown area and it's historic significance...