Stories from Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Robert Ray Shrakes, 82, a resident of Fort Scott, died Monday, June 27, 2011, at Medicalodges in Fort Scott. He was born Dec. 27, 1928, in Bartlesville, Okla., the son of Clyde E. Shrakes and Mary M. Schmidt Shrakes. He first married Stella Holt, and they were later divorced. He later married Norma Bennett; she preceded him in death...

Virgil W. Ruthrauff, 90, of Moran, Kan., passed away Saturday, June 25, 2011, at the Wheatlands Health Care Center, Kingman, Kan. Virgil was born July 31, 1920, at Redfield, Kan., the son of Glen and Goldie (Mangold) Ruthrauff. Virgil grew up in the Redfield area...

Lucindra Lea Bentley, 42, resident of Fort Scott, Kan., died Saturday, June 25, 2011, at her home. She was born June 6, 1969, in Fort Scott, the daughter of Charles L. Anderson and Sandra K. Sharp Anderson. Lucindra had worked as a clerk for Dollar General Store...

Stanley A. Combs, 78, retired Cessna Avionics design engineer, passed away Friday, June 24, 2011. Stanley was preceded in death by his parents, William and Elizabeth (Alcorn) Combs. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Ida Lou (Harris) Combs; daughter, Dian Combs of Fort Scott, Kan.; son, Thomas Combs of Berne, N.Y.; sister, Helen Combs of Independence, Kan.; and honorary grandchildren, Emma, Mitchell and Blake Huennekens...

Edna Edds, 94, of Pleasanton, Kan., died Friday, June 24, 2011, at Rose Estates, Overland Park, Kan. Graveside services were held on Monday, June 27, 2011, at the Pleasanton Cemetery, Pleasanton, Kan. A visitation was held from 1 p.m. until service time at Coffel-Schneider Chapel, Pleasanton...

Melody and Mitchell Johnson, Pleasanton, Kan., along with siblings Monnica Elaine and Jasper Ray Johnson are pleased to announce the birth of their daughter and sister McKenzie Gabriel Bayhonan Johnson on Thursday, June 23, 2011, at 11:17 a.m. at Mercy Health Center, Fort Scott...

Amy and David Hixon, Fort Scott, along with siblings Aubrey, Addison and Blake are pleased to announce the birth of their son and brother Colton Grant Hixon on Monday, June 6, 2011, at 5:49 p.m. at Via Christi Hospital, Pittsburg. Colton weighted 7 pounds, 9.5 ounces and was 19 inches long...

Ronald LeRoy Lewis, 66, 1866 Kansas Rd., Fort Scott, was arrested by the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office on June 23 at 11:06 a.m. on a Bourbon County warrant for criminal threat and battery and released the same day at 12:16 p.m. on a $10,000 bond. Derek Ryan Stumfoll, 27, 1716 S. Judson, Fort Scott, was arrested by the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office on June 23 at 9:57 a.m. on two Bourbon County warrants for burglary and criminal damage to property and is still being held...

Eight members and one guest met at the home of Ruby Myers for the June Garden Club meeting. The club collect opened the meeting. The president gave her report, followed by the secretary and other officers. The group talked about plans for the fair in July. Each member plans to enter something...

The weekly Fort Scott Chamber Coffee will be hosted by the Bourbon County Master Gardeners and will be held at the Heritage Park Pavilion (corner of First and Main) at 8 a.m. on June 30.

O. E. S. Culture Club met at Hot Wok in Fort Scott on June 7. There were eight members present and three guests. The group had its regular meeting at Gunn Park. This June meeting was an outing, and regular meetings will resume in September. President Retta Smith called the meeting to order with the collect led by Julia Ann Rhoton. ...

The 15th annual Nation-Wayne reunion was held at the Linnville schoolhouse on June 19. A carry-in dinner was shared by the 57 people in attendance. A group picture was taken by Danny Nation. Dorothy Nation was recognized as the oldest present. The youngest, at 4 months of age, was Kyson Stock, who is the son of Kolby and April Stock. Elmer Wayne and Diane McCauley of Corpus Christi, Texas, traveled the most miles to attend...

Members of the Fort Scott Modern Woodmen of America Chapter 514 will sponsor a fundraiser on July 16 to benefit the Fort Scott Christmaas Basket program. Coordinated by local Modern Woodmen members, chapters provide opportunities to connect through social activities and volunteer projects...

Since I started writing my column for the paper, we began taking the Fort Scott paper, and Bob dearly loves it. He reads it from cover to cover and enjoys every section. The sports section has always been right up there at the top of importance. He almost always sees an article about someone we used to know when we lived in Fort Scott, or there will be a picture of someone he knew and remembers...

Some people have trouble drinking milk and digesting dairy products. The condition is known as lactose intolerance. Being lactose intolerant means you cannot digest lactose -- the natural sugar found in milk and other dairy products. People who cannot digest lactose have a shortage of an enzyme called lactase, which is produced in the small intestine. Lactase breaks down milk sugar into two simpler forms of sugar, which are then absorbed into the bloodstream...

The Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County will host "The Essential Eisenhower," a presentation and discussion by Daniel D. Holt on July 7 at the Old Congregational Church, 502 S. National Ave. Doors open at 6:15 p.m. and the program begins at 6:45 p.m. Community members are invited to attend this free program. For more information, contact the Historic Preservation Association of Bourbon County at 223-6423. The program is made possible by the Kansas Humanities Council...

Spencer Lee and a "dream team" of professional singer/songwriters and producers from Los Angeles performed for a full house last Saturday raising $6,000 for the Mercy's Cancer Care Unit Expansion. Lee and his band of music industry colleagues -- Windy Wagner, Ken Stacey, Chris Price and Ryan Petersen -- performed original music written by the artists. Lee and Wagner also performed a portion of a song they are currently co-writing for singers Faith Hill and Tim McGraw...

It was not exactly the welcome he was expecting when he walked through the door, but Andrew Dillingham was greeted effusively as he entered the Lowell Milken Center Monday afternoon for being its 10,000th visitor. Dillingham, of Topeka, was in Fort Scott Monday for a job interview when he stopped at the center, created in 2007, while touring the town. He said he had never been to Fort Scott before...

Larry Joe Gier Jr. appeared in Bourbon County District Court Monday afternoon for an update on the proceedings since his first appearance on May 23. But due to the volume of material attorneys must review, the hearing was rescheduled for August. Gier was arrested on May 9 for his alleged involvement in the 1998 murder of Fort Scott resident Gregory O. Hines...

The Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees heard news of a new grant the college has received this year that will help students of migrant families attend college. FSCC Associate Dean of Grants and Institutional Advancement Cindy Bartelsmeyer told the board about the new Five-year College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) grant the college has been awarded that will begin July 1. ...

For 55 people participating in Saturday's tragedy tour at Fort Scott National Historic Site, events from the 1840s through the Civil War popped off the textbook pages and came alive. Guided by Park Ranger Barak Geertsen, visitors witnessed reenactors in tableaus -- still lifes of scenes -- such as drunken shootings, the execution of a deserter and war-time deaths at the post hospital, among others...