Stories from Thursday, June 17, 2010

Gisela Nutter, age 83, former resident of the Highrise Apartments, Fort Scott, died Wednesday, June 16, 2010, at Guest Home Estates. She was born March 21, 1927, the daughter of Harro Stuhrk and Margarete Schmitt Stuhrk, in Marne, Germany. In her teen years, she was a successful swimmer and tennis player, competing on several traveling teams...

LEWIS -- Ryan and Amber Lewis, Fort Scott, and big brother Micah Nelson Lewis, are proud to announce the birth of their son and brother, Owen Zachary Lewis. Owen was born at 12:52 p.m., Wednesday, June 16, 2010, at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott...

Mercy Health Center has announced a new opportunity for its employees to advance their careers with the organization. School at Work is a 21st century workforce development system that brings education and career advice to loyal employees of the health center...

The Bourbon County Conservation District is going to have a sign-up period for cost-share funds from the State Conservation Commission to assist landowners in installing enduring soil and water conservation structures. The State Water Resources Cost-Share Program for applying conservation practices is an asset in the important task of protecting the soil, water, and related natural resources of Bourbon County. ...

Chiggers, mosquitoes, and ticks are the three most dreaded insects of the summer months. Chiggers are the only ones that do not suck blood, nor do they burrow into the skin like many believe. In fact, they secrete saliva which causes allergic reactions from histamines...

Each year, USDA release's an updated annual report entitled "Expenditures on Children by Families." The newest report, released last week, again shows some interesting estimates of the costs of supporting a child from birth through age 17. This information is important for parents, of course, who like to bring this fact to the attention of their offspring from time to time to subtlety make a point, as well as to emphasize the need for those youngsters to keep their material desires within reason, right?!. ...

To enhance early educational opportunities for Kansas children, Governor Mark Parkinson has created the Kansas Early Childhood Advisory Council. "I am proud to form this advisory council that will assess the ways in which Kansas can maximize early childhood education opportunities for our kids," Parkinson said. ...

KANSAS CITY -- U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded $13,142,608 to 94 public housing authorities in Kansas. The funds will allow these agencies to make major capital improvements to their public housing units. This funding is part of $2.3 billion HUD awarded today to 3,131 agencies across the U.S, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To view the full list of grantees, visit HUD's website at www.hud.gov...

According to the American Red Cross, the supply of Type O negative blood has dropped to critically low levels. Type O negative blood is always in high demand because it can be transfused to patients with any blood type, especially in emergency situations. Donors of Type O negative blood are needed to help prevent the fragile Type O negative blood supply from reaching a crisis level, according to a news release...

Special tours this weekend at Fort Scott National Historic Site will tell the story behind the deaths of various soldiers and local citizens during the mid-1800s. FSNHS staff are inviting the public to attend the Saturday evening tour which will feature stories about the tragedies of Fort Scott's history. During the staff-guided tours, about 20 local reenactors will create five different scenes that will depict how these soldiers or citizens met violent deaths...