Stories from Thursday, May 26, 2011

The end of May is just days away; the last days of "Spring" are about to rapidly pass; Good Ol' Days weekend is right around the corner and school is out already. With summer coming, the routine occurrences -- like planting the next soybean field, caring for the new calf crop or tending to your favorite flowerbed -- are about to re-occur throughout the summer of 2011...

Kansas and other states in the nation's heartland continue to do battle with a friend turned foe. Once thought to be a plant that helped prevent soil erosion, provided forage for livestock and supplied cover and food for wildlife, sericea lespedeza is now considered a noxious weed, and farmers and ranchers alike are working to rid their land of it...

This summer, as the Lowell Milken Center begins a fifth year, its impact continues to expand around the globe. Nearly 10,000 people from 42 states and 34 countries have visited the center in Fort Scott. Yet those numbers don't tell the whole story. The full reach of the center includes virtual visitors who access the educational nonprofit through the Internet. ...

A new real estate office recently began operating in Bourbon County. Local realtors Kent and Becki Roberts have started their own real estate business, Bourbon County Properties. The Robertses have been Realtors in the area for more than 10 years and developed a strong clientele. ...

The Hiattville 4-H club met on Wednesday, May 4. Roll call was answered by "name your favorite sport." Chance Kimrey led the club in singing "Old McDonald Had a Farm." With many already preparing for the fair, members were reminded that the Fort Scott Jack-Pot-Show is June 11 and to turn in "Bourbon County Born" entries due June 1 and fair entries by June 15...

Ashley Boultinghouse and Maurice Lindsey Sr., Fort Scott, along with sibling Tayshawn Gaynor are pleased to announce the birth of their son and sister Lillyauna Jade Lindsey on Tuesday, May 24, 2011, at 5:03 p.m. at Mercy Health Center. Lillyauna weighed 6 pounds, 9 ounces, and was 19 inches long...

Crystal and Billy C. Eldred II of Butler, Mo., and sibling Avery Rose are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter and sister Lyla Quinn Eldred on Wednesday, May 25, 2011, at 12:37 p.m. at Mercy Health Center. Lyla weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces...

Agriculture Future of America (AFA), Kansas City, Mo., and UMB Bank Fort Scott announced the recipient of the AFA Scholarship. Reed Gleason, a senior at Uniontown High School, is the recipient of a $3,200 scholarship to attend a college/university of his choice. The scholarship provides for Gleason to attend the AFA Leaders Conference, an annual event that provides personal and professional training to college students as they prepare for careers in agriculture...

Twenty-eight Family and Community Education members enjoyed the May lesson at Allen County Courthouse, Iola, on May 19. The lesson "living life richer" was presented by Janae McNally. Choosing how to live life richer is a personal decision that requires taking a look at one's life...

Velia M. West, 55, 604 Holly, Fulton, was arrested by the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office on May 24 at 5:06 p.m. on a Bourbon County warrant, criminal trespass, and is still being held. Kennety E. McQueen,, 26, 605 E. 10th St., Pleasanton, was arrested by the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office on May 24 at 11:07 a.m. on a Bourbon County warrant, sale of opiates and trafficking contraband into a correctional facility, and is still being held...

100 YEARS AGO (1911) William H. Clark died last evening after an illness which dates back to about 11 years ago. The funeral will be tomorrow at the Christian church. Mr. Clark came here from Illinois 32 years ago. During the years he enjoyed good health, Mr. ...

Three pianists will be the featured performers during a concert scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at the Heritage Park Pavilion near the corner of First and Main streets. The pianists are Lorna Smith, who plays church organ and piano at Cherry Grove Baptist Church, Del Potter, a local businessman who plays for St. John's United Methodist Church, and Joyce Flanner, who plays for the West Park Church of the Nazarene...

The 39th annual Bronson Community Day is set for Saturday at City Park. This year's celebration, with the theme of "Community Spirit," will feature everything from a clown and quilt show to a horseshoe pitch, baby and pet contest and barbecue dinner...

A Pleasanton woman recently sang her way to a rare opportunity. Twenty-two-year-old Felisha Sweat, a student at the Fort Scott Community College School of Cosmetology, is one step closer to realizing her goal of becoming a famous recording artist after winning a chance to audition for producers of the upcoming TV talent show "X Factor" two weeks ago in Joplin, Mo...

The opening day for the Fort Scott golf course certainly gave local linksters a chance to get their feet wet. With the rain Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, the course's inaugural day was not quite as grand as expected. According to course manager Bill Zimmerman, despite closing the course shortly after 2 p.m., 20 people had taken advantage of the new municipal course. He added that soon "all the pent up demand" to play golf will start coming out as soon as the weather breaks...

Boys' defending champions: 6A -- Olathe East, 5A -- Hays, 4A -- Paola (2nd straight), 3A -- Garden Plain (2nd straight), 2A -- Bennington, 1A -- Ness City (2nd straight). Girls' defending champions: 6A -- Olathe East (3rd straight; 1st sweep in 6A since Hutchinson in 2004), 5A -- Gardner-Edgerton, 4A -- Baldwin, 3A -- Rossville, 2A -- Olpe, 1A -- Victoria...

Fort Scott High School will send eight athletes to compete in seven events at the Kansas State Track and Field Championships this weekend at Wichita State University's Cessna Stadium. This is the 100th State Championship Meet. Girls' championships began in 1972, making this year the 40th anniversary of the first girls' meet. ...

As he did 10 years ago following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Shirt Shack owner Billy Webster is preparing to sell T-shirts in aid of victims of tragedy -- this time, the Joplin tornado. Shirt Shack will be selling white T-shirts with the motto "Joplin Aid" in all capital letters, May 22, 2011 and the American Red Cross logo emblazoned in red across them. Shirts will be $5 and the first one was printed Wednesday afternoon...

Born out of controversy and baptized in fire, Kansas overcame its territorial struggles to become the 34th state in the Union on Jan. 29, 1861. Fort Scott National Historic Site, a unit of the National Park Service, invites the public to visit this special weekend as staff and volunteers commemorate 150 years of Kansas history. "To the Stars with Difficulty," the Kansas state motto, serves as the park's theme for Good Ol' Days weekend, June 4-5...