Stories from Thursday, December 1, 2011

Charles Edgar Rains, 91, of Chanute, Kan., more recently of Barone's Alzheimer Care Center, Nevada, Mo., passed away Sunday, Nov. 27, 2011, at the Nevada Regional Medical Center in Nevada. Edgar was born in Nowata County, Okla., on Dec. 13, 1919, the son of Robert Lee and Sibbie Ann (Adamson) Rains...

Christy and Travis Burk, Blue Mound, Kan., are pleased to announce the birth of their son Eithan Wade Burk on Tuesday, Nov. 29, 2011, at 8:19 a.m. at Mercy Health Center, Fort Scott, Kan. Eithan weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces. Maternal grandparents are Denise and Ed Owen, Mound City, Kan. Paternal grandparents are Theresa Burk and the late Michael Burk, Mapleton, Kan...

Jeremy Michael Lotterer, 29, Fort Scott, was arrested by the Fort Scott Police Department at 10:56 p.m. Tuesday for a warrant out of Vernon County for forgery. He is still being held at this time.

Tribune Staff Report A local hotel owner, Hemal Patel, recently purchased 1st Interstate Inn. The property at 2222 S. Main, Fort Scott, had been foreclosed on by Community National Bank in Iola, Patel said. The purchase price was $450,000. 1st Interstate has 28 interior rooms. Patel said he plans to improve the hotel's beds, TVs and carpet and install electric room locks. If the name is changed in the next six months, it will likely be to another franchise, he said...

It is interesting and rewarding (most of the time anyway) to take advantage of opportunities that come our way. For example, I took the opportunity to share in a Thanksgiving meal that my daughters prepared for our family last week. Kara made her way to our house (from Iola) as did Kristin (from Panama City, Panama) for the cooking mission...

Some folks can literally spend hours watching the birds outside their windows. I used to think that watching the birds was a waste of time. But I, too, have come to enjoy watching birds pick for food. If you haven't fed birds before, give it a try. They are quite interesting and entertaining to watch...

Submitted to The Tribune TOPEKA -- More than 350 optometrists and 230 optometric assistants attended the 2011 Kansas Optometric Association Fall Eyecare Conference in Wichita, Kan. Optometrists attending were able to receive 20 hours of continuing education toward the 24 hours required for re-licensure...

Submitted to The Tribune Chicago-based Bankers Life and Casualty is expanding its insurance and finance business by opening an office in Fort Scott. Located at 116 N. National Ave., the new operation will offer Medicare supplement and home health care products, in addition to Bankers' full line of financial products, according to a news release...

The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce recently conducted a grand opening and ribbon cutting event for the new location of Edward Jones at 1713 S. National Ave., Suite B. Jamie Armstrong (cutting ribbon) and Tedena Tucker (to Armstrong's left) will work in this office while Richard Goldston will continue to operate the company's downtown office. The celebration included light refreshments and door prizes...

100 YEARS AGO (1911) A further retrenchment of 25 men was made at the Missouri Pacific shops yesterday and the force at the present time is but a small one, one of the smallest in the history of the shops here. The recent retrenchment was general over all of the system, the working force at each terminal and shop point being reduced. ...

To the Editor: A special thank you to the Ministerial Alliance for choosing The Sharing Bucket/Care to Share as this year's recipient of the offering at last week's Community Thanksgiving Service. The funds from this wonderful offering will be utilized to help those survivors from our community in their fight with cancer. (An individual is considered a survivor the day they are diagnosed with cancer)...

Fort Scott Middle School will host a Site Council meeting at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7. There will also be a Site Council meeting at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Fort Scott High School.

Charla Pryor experienced two milestones this week -- her retirement from Peerless Products Inc. in Fort Scott, and a day later, her 65th birthday. Pryor was feted Wednesday for 35 years of service to the commercial window and door firm. She worked at Peerless for three years before that, but her family moved to Wichita and then moved back to the area...

A local cancer support group has designed a new fundraiser aimed at helping people prepare for the Christmas season while raising money for cancer patients and their families. The Care to Share cancer support group and The Sharing Bucket will offer a gift wrap station from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, at Espressly for You, 1900 S. Main St. During the event, group members and volunteers will wrap Christmas gifts for residents who bring them in during those hours...

Fort Scott Police Department detectives arrested two juvenile males, age 14 and 15, in connection with five home burglaries that took place in Fort Scott between September and November. One juvenile is from Bronaugh, Mo., and the other is from Fort Scott. The two were arrested Nov. 22...

SEDALIA, Mo. -- State Fair raced past Fort Scott Community College, 73-40, here Tuesday night in a non-conference junior college basketball game. The Roadrunners (6-6) held the Greyhounds to 30-percent field-goal shooting on the night as Fort Scott (1-7) made just 7 fielders in the first half...