Stories from Thursday, July 7, 2011

Roberta Anne Sobba, 33, 723 E. 19th St., Pittsburg, Kan., was arrested by the Fort Scott Police Department on July 6 at 1:07 a.m. on a Crawford County warrant for theft and is still being held. Jacob Ryan Swearengin, 23, Holly St., Fulton, Kan., was arrested by the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office on July 5 at 8:31 p.m. for indecent solicitation of a child, sexual exploitation of a child and promoting obscenity and is still being held...

LYONS, NE -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently announced that $37 million is available for the Value-Added Producer Grant (VAPG) program. A special reserve is set aside for beginning farmers and ranchers and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. The deadline to apply is Aug. 29...

Rising prices are in the news, but the cost of feeding a family also can rise unnecessarily. "Waste is a key culprit since, on average, Americans throw away 10 percent -- or more -- of the food they buy," Mary Meck Higgins, K-State Research and Extension nutrition specialist said. "Throwing away food is like throwing away money."...

We just finished watching the annual patriotic program in Washington, D.C., on public television. It was a great show. One of the entertainers was Josh Groban, who is one of my very favorite performers. He didn't let me down; his performance was superb, as was the whole show...

Submited to the Tribune HUTCHINSON -- Hutchinson Community College has announced the honor rolls for the Spring 2011 semester, including grades through the end of the interterm session. A total of 1,234 students have been honored with selection to the two honor roll listings, with 665 achieving the President's Honor Roll with a 4.0 grade point average for the semester...

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce Coffee will be hosted by Pete's Convenience Store on Thursday, July 7. The coffee will be held at the Lyon's Twin Mansions and will begin at 8 a.m.

Fifty-four descendants of Fred and Myrtle Stewart gathered at the old Xenia schoolhouse for the annual Stewart Family Reunion on Sunday, June 29. Fred and Myrtle Stewart moved from the Paola area to Xenia, Kan., in 1912, and there they raised their seven children: Bob, Helen, Glen, Hallie, Ralph, Myron and Neil. Though none of those listed are still living, the tradition of their families gathering each year is continued by their children and grandchildren...

In 1991 the Kansas Legislature passed an act permitting two or more County Extension Councils to form an extension district. On July 1, 2010, Allen and Neosho counties joined together to form the Southwind Extension District -- the 10th district in Kansas. After much discussion, we are excited to announce that the Southwind District will grow by adding Bourbon County as of July 1, 2011...

The Hiattville 4-H Club met June 1. Roll call was answered by "name a famous person in history." Members were reminded that help is needed for pre-fair clean-up on July 19. It was also announced that this year at the fair, there will be a herdsmanship contest. Members received their assignments for working at the chuckwagon...

Some observations concerning the costs to energy and environment caused by the progress of farm/ranch production started last week will continue in this writing. We left off assessing the use of fertilizers to produce larger crops. Specifically, in 1980, farmers grew 6.64 billion bushels of corn using 3.9 pounds of nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium) for each bushel, and in 2010 they grew 12.45 billion bushels using 1.6 pounds of nutrients per bushel produced...

To the Editor: We would like to thank you for the warm and inviting welcome we received during our visit to your wonderful city last week. Anna Hull and I were fortunate enough to be selected to work as Fellows with the Lowell Milken Center. Neither of us had been to Kansas before and we knew nothing about Fort Scott. ...

This week's Fort Scott Tribune online poll question: What do you think of the new tobacco warning labels? 72 votes cast aToo graphic -- 6.9 percent (5 votes) aThey don't go far enough -- 15.3 percent (11 votes) aThey won't make any difference -- 68.1 percent (49 votes)...

A variety of musicians will be playing at 7 p.m. Friday at Heritage Park Pavilion downtown. The Goodbody family, the Centers, Floyd Feezell and Gary Dixon perform. Many may recall that Dixon made his career in Nashville, singing, playing guitar and writing his own songs. He has recorded several CDs and performed for the public at the Pavilion before, as well as at other events such as Pioneer Harvest Fiesta...

They may have entered their ninth decade, but Perry Dobbins and Bill Danley have the enthusiasm of much younger men when it comes to placing American flags along the Fort Scott National Cemetery route for each patriotic holiday. Memorial Day, Flag Day, Veterans Day, Fourth of July -- you name it, Dobbins, 90, and Danley, 92, are on the road before 7 a.m. gathering trailers full of Old Glory and directing their volunteers to place them...

Rep. Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, has been recognized for perfect attendance during the 2011 legislative session. "When legislators are elected, their families, professional responsibilities and social obligations still require their time," said Speaker Mike O'Neal, R-Hutchinson. "Representative Tyson's commitment and dedication to her constituents is clearly evident in the time she spends serving them in Topeka."...

Fort Scott Community College graduate Christopher Schaller, of Adrian, Mo., recently earned a silver medal in the carpentry competition during the National SkillsUSA Championships in Kansas City. Schaller, who graduated from FSCC in May, and three other FSCC students won gold medals at the Kansas State SkillsUSA competition in April in Wichita, qualifying them for the national contest. ...

Less than one week after the sudden notification that the Fort Scott office of the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services will close, local citizens gathered at City Hall to discuss how the community will be impacted. Local legislators Caryn Tyson, R-Parker, and Bob Grant, D-Cherokee, were on hand to answer questions based on what little information there were able to obtain and gather feedback from community that could be used to help fight the decision announced Friday afternoon by Kansas Department of SRS Secretary Rob Siedlecki.. ...

Norman and Laura Nation of Fort Scott and Jim and Polly Herman, of Fort Scott, announce the engagement and approaching marriage of their daughter and son, Elise Joy Nation and Jeremiah James Herman. The couple plan to be married on July 22, 2011. Elise is a 2009 graduate of Fort Scott High School and a 2011 graduate of Fort Scott Community College. She is currently employed full time by Heidrick's True Value...