Stories from Thursday, March 10, 2011

Believe it or not, daylight savings time begins again this coming Sunday. Not a morning person by nature, I much prefer the additional daylight time at the end of the day. And, oh yes, this is also a sign that spring is coming -- another welcome expectation!...

Gov. Sam Brownback has declared March 6-12, 2011 as "Severe Weather Awareness Week" in Kansas in hopes of reminding residents of the potential hazards from spring storms. From March into September, and even October, we can experience severe thunderstorms. Some people mistakenly think that the only thunderstorms they need to worry about are tornadic type. But every thunderstorm has the potential to be a killer...

PARKER -- Megan and Harvey Parker, Fort Scott, and sister Jadyn Marie Wyatt, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter and sister, Jordin Nicole Parker. Jordin was born at 1:04 p.m., March 6, 2011 at Mercy Health Center. Maternal grandparents are Vickie Floyd and Gary Floyd Sr., Fort Scott...

ESGAR -- Sarah Barentine and Jeromy Esgar, Fort Scott, and big sister Bonnie Lee Esgar, are proud to announce the birth of their son and brother, Isaiah Ellsworth Esgar-Barentine. He was born at 11:47 p.m., March 3, 2011, at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott...

AIKIN -- Kent and Kacie Aikin, Fort Scott, and big sister Kyndal Leann Aikin, are proud to announce the birth of their daughter and sister, Kaylee Grace Aikin. Kaylee was born at 5:53 p.m., March 3, 2011, at Mercy Health Center in Fort Scott. She weighed 7 pounds, 12 ounces at birth...

Vivian Louise Lancaster, 83, of Fort Scott, died at her home, Monday morning, March 7, 2011. She was born Oct. 19, 1927 in Coyle, Okla., the daughter of Albert and Myrtle Bell (Meininger) Towle. She married Cecil Lancaster July 2, 1950 in Fort Scott...

The premiere screening of a documentary about the Gordon Parks Collection at Wichita State will be held at 7 p.m. today. The documentary explains how Wichita State became the home of the Gordon Parks Collection and its efforts to preserve Parks' legacy. Parks is a native of Fort Scott...

Local residents have less than a week to turn in personal property assessment forms. Bourbon County Appraiser Judy Wallis said the assessment forms for personal property owners and commercial personal property owners are due in her office by Tuesday, March 15. Wallis' office is located on the first floor of the Bourbon County Courthouse at 210 S. National Ave...

From grants to figuring out disaster aid and economic development, data from the 2010 Census will be used for a variety of purposes, officials said. Bourbon County Emergency Manager Keith Jeffers said the county and its counterparts across the state and nation have a threshold for disaster reimbursement based on population...

Instead of destroying cells with cancer treatment, a Fort Scott High School graduate now attending Kansas State University, is working to find out what goes on inside a tumor and how treatment can be targeted so healthy versions of the smallest living organism aren't killed...

The Design Review Board is currently seeking persons interested in filling one spot on the five-person panel. Board Chairman Arnold Schofield said the board's purpose is "to provide guidance to the city commission and to the property owners that own buildings within the historic district."...

After six months of closure, National Avenue is open for good. Fort Scott Public Works Director Eric Bailey said the contractor, Rogers & Sons Concrete of Fort Scott, got one of the city's busiest streets traffic-ready Tuesday afternoon. It had been closed for storm drainage repairs since October 2010...

Fort Scott resident Angela Handly has been nominated for the America's Most Wanted All-Star contest for her work as an emergency medical technician at American Medical Response in Linn County. Handly is among 81 law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMTs from across the country proposed for the honor...

100 YEARS AGO (1911) The Uniontown schoolhouse is about completed. There was a discussion some time ago concerning the construction of the foundation. It was claimed by some that the contractor had not complied with the contract and that the foundation was constructed so that cold weather would ruin it...

Headaches, hassles, and unnecessary strain in life can be reduced by researching the quality of claims service a company offers before purchasing an auto insurance policy. There are a few key areas to research when grading the quality of claim service provided by an auto insurer: customer satisfaction ratings, customer choices and professionalism of claim representatives...

Updated at 10:35 p.m.