Courtrooms can be intimidating — especially for a child.
CASA Volunteers ensure a child’s needs and best interests are clearly presented to the judge.
Without enough volunteers, some children face court alone.
Every child deserves a voice.
Become a CASA Volunteer.
Contact Christa at [email protected]
Can a Boss Be a Friend?
One of the most common leadership questions I have encountered is whether a boss can truly be friends with employees. Many leadership authors caution against becoming too close to those you supervise. Their concern is understandable. Friendships can make accountability, evaluations, discipline, and organizational changes more difficult. While I understand that perspective, my experience has led me to a different conclusion. I believe it is possible to be both a leader and a friend. The key is understanding that the organization must always remain the top priority.
Leadership is not about choosing between friendship and responsibility. It is about having the maturity to separate the two when necessary. Over the years, I have worked alongside people who became genuine friends. We shared victories, challenges, and countless hours pursuing common goals. Yet there were times when difficult decisions had to be made. I recall a situation where an organizational restructuring was necessary to better serve the institution. One of the positions affected belonged to a close friend. The easy choice would have been to avoid the issue. Instead, we sat down and had an honest conversation about the needs of the organization and the reasons for the change.
Was it easy? No. But because our friendship was built on trust and honesty, we separated the personal relationship from the business decision. The organization moved forward, and the friendship remained intact.
The same principle applies in athletics. Imagine a head football coach whose best friend is an assistant coach. If the team struggles and responsibilities need to be reassigned, a strong leader makes the changes necessary for the program’s success. A true friendship can withstand an honest conversation about what is best for the team. The opposite is also true. Leaders who refuse to build relationships often create distance and distrust. People want to know their leaders genuinely care about them.
Leadership is about balancing relationships and responsibility. Friendship should never interfere with leadership, but when handled correctly, it can strengthen it. A leader can be a friend, as long as friendship serves the mission and never replaces it.
Thought for the Week, “The true test of leadership is having the courage to make the right decision for the organization while preserving the dignity of the people involved,” Jack Welch.
Dr. Jack Welch serves as President of Fort Scott Community College. With a career spanning professional sports, public education, and rural community development, he brings a servant-leader mindset and a passion for building trust-driven cultures that empower people to thrive in the classroom, on the field, and in life. He is also the author of Foundations of Coaching: The Total Coaching Manual.
Mike and his family are moving and Cindi is purging her inventory, and they are selling it all at an in-person, public auction. Two John Deere tractors, two zero-turn mowers, a horse trailer, vehicles, an ATV, farm equipment, tools, furniture and a whole lot more. Come spend the day with us!
John Deere 730 Diesel: factory weights, straight sheet metal and dual hydraulics. Runs (needs batteries).
John Deere 730 RUNS factory weights, straight sheet metal and dual hydraulics. Needs batteries. See the featured video above.
John Deere 420 RUNS. See video.
Simplicity 60″ commercial cut, 27 hp zero-turn mower. See video.
John Deere 42″ cut EZ Trak Z225, 18.5 hp, w/ bags. See video.
Two horse livestock trailer. This trailer has an attached air conditioning unit which comes on. It may need some maintenance. Also is equipped with electrical outlets and light. Selling with bill of sale, no title. See video.
Honda 4×4 ATV.
2018 Jeep Renegade 160,000 miles more or less. Daily driver, great gas mileage. Slight damage a couple years ago hitting a deer.
2005 Volvo 540 high mileage, runs and drives. See video.
Oklahoma Joe’s Smoker.
Priefert Headgate.
Mig Welder.
Shop Smith table saw / wood lathe.
Rolltop desk.
Display case.
Here is a list of some of what will be selling:
Saturday, June 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM — 19863 Valley Road, La Cygne, KS 66040.
Cash, check or credit card (5% credit-card fee). No buyer’s premium. Auction conducted by Semper Fi Auction Services.
Bourbon County Commission Meeting Agenda 06.22.26
Meeting Date & Time: June 22, 2026, 5:30 PM
Location: 210 S National Avenue, Fort Scott, KS 66701
1. Call Meeting to Order
2. Pledge of Allegiance
3. Prayer – Led by Commissioner Motley
4. Introductions
5. Approval of Agenda
6. Approval of Minutes
a. June 15, 2026
b. May 11, 2026 (Revised)
c. April 13, 2026 (Revised)
7. Approval of Accounts Payable – June 18, 2026 ($83,374.82)
8. Approval of May 2026 Financials
9. Special Appearances
10. Public Comments
11. Department Updates
a. Landfill – Blake Hurd
12. Old Business
a. Jarred Gilmore Phillips 2026 Audit Engagement
b. SEK Juvenile Detention Center Discussion
c. American Flag Purchase
d. Procedures for Adopting Resolutions
13. New Business
a. Statement/Discussion – Commissioner Allen
b. Fund Resolution – Commissioner Milburn
c. Resolution 25-26: Cancellation of Warrant Checks – County Clerk Walker
d. Heartland Business Licenses Annual Billing
14. Future Agenda Topics
a. Public Works Budget Work Session (Scheduled for June 29, 2026)
15. Commission Comments
16. Adjournment
(Cross-reference: Complete Agenda Layout found on PDF Page 1)
Call to Order & Attendance: Chair Samuel Tran called the meeting to order at 5:30 PM. Present were Commissioners Samuel Tran, David Beerbower, Joe Allen, Gregg Motley, Mike Milburn-Kee, and County Clerk Susan Walker. Multiple local citizens, media members, and department reps were noted in attendance. (PDF Page 1)
Agenda & Accounts Payable Amendments: The agenda was rearranged to move public comments up and insert a pressing Public Works item. In reviewing accounts payable batches, Commissioner Milburn-Kee flagged duplicate vendor invoices from Murphy for rock crusher training totaling $7,849. The board approved the June 5 batch ($184,461.59) while withholding the disputed checks, and passed the June 12 batch ($833,269.76) cleanly. (PDF Page 1)
Hidden Valley Road Jurisdiction: Public Works Director Kenny Allen delivered a definitive review regarding resident requests for county road maintenance in Hidden Valley. Legal and infrastructure checks confirmed that a 2017 resolution was meant strictly for law enforcement patrol access and did not establish public easements. The current road system fails county infrastructure metrics (lacking proper bases and engineered drainage) and would strain the county budget. The board unanimously adopted Resolution 23-26, formally declining the roads into the public network and reinforcing private HOA maintenance obligations. (PDF Page 1–2)
Public Safety Systems & Water Drainage: Representatives from INA Alert pitched security system upgrades, offering a complimentary engineering valuation for county facilities. Local landowner Mark Warren presented severe field flooding concerns near Uniontown, Redfield, and Paint Creek, requesting updated culverts and proper side-ditching. Commissioner Milburn-Kee requested his media evidence to launch a site investigation. (PDF Page 2)
Clerk Records, Formatting, & Elections: Commissioner Milburn-Kee brought forward corrections for the April 13 minutes, noting a previous revision had been omitted from the record. Chair Tran voiced strong concerns about the style of AI-generated minutes (referencing May 11), noting subjective phrases like “push back gently” and “echoed forcefully” painted commissioners in a non-neutral light. Clerk Walker clarified that she utilizes standard settings without injecting editorial context. Additionally, a motion by Milburn-Kee to deny the Clerk’s use of the Commission Room for upcoming 2026 elections failed 2-3; a subsequent motion to approve the full spatial request passed 3-2. (PDF Page 2–3)
Comprehensive Plan & Moratoriums: The board accepted a Planning Commission recommendation to hire Confluence to orchestrate the county’s Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code for $152,000, praised as a long-term “blueprint” for entrepreneurs. Due to the expiration of previous protective measures, the board approved Resolution 24-26, instating a 365-day moratorium on utility-scale power generation, data centers, crypto-mining, and waste operations (exempting established solar entities). (PDF Page 3)
Baker Tilly System Access: To eliminate friction in generating general ledger records, the commission voted unanimously to grant financial consulting group Baker Tilly read-only remote access to the CIC accounting platform using standalone login credentials. (PDF Page 3)
Public Meals-on-Wheels Crisis: During public comments, Michael Hoyt warned that federal funding rollbacks had severely defunded regional agencies on aging, restricting home meal delivery eligibility for local seniors. He implored the county to build provisions into upcoming budget cycles. (PDF Page 4)
County Communication & Check-Signing Authority: County Attorney James Crux formally admonished the commission for a stark “lack of communication,” revealing that unannounced policy deviations had caused late employee payrolls for two consecutive months. To clear logistical hurdles, the board passed a motion authorizing Commissioner Allen to sign accounts payable checks, superseding previous procedural standoffs regarding statutory requirements. (PDF Page 4–5)
SecureView Payroll Access Standoff: Commissioner Motley moved to restore read-only pay entry reporting access to the County Clerk to expedite general ledger balancing, noting intermediary data formats provided by administrative staff lacked cost-center mapping. Commissioner Milburn-Kee countered that the system configuration was all-or-nothing, raising data privacy exposures. The motion failed 2-3, and the matter was tabled to invite a systems representative to a future work session. (PDF Page 5)
Economic Development Wins: Fort Scott City Manager Brad Matkin announced major property acquisitions: the Value Merchandisers building and the Timken manufacturing plant were successfully sold to new operators, collectively projected to introduce up to 550 local jobs over three years and trigger massive facility expansions. (PDF Page 5)
Employee Outcry Over Altered Benefit Records: A major labor dispute erupted when County Clerk Walker and approximately 40 county employees confronted the board over unannounced adjustments to their benefit tracking. Documentation showed 21 employees had their original hire dates modified in the software between November 2025 and March 2026, threatening KPERS retirement tiers and erasing decades of longevity credits. Following intense public cross-examination and heated executive recesses, the board voted to restore open time-entry visibility to all workers and authorized structural corrections. (PDF Page 6)
Juvenile Justice Regulatory Shift: Michael Walden, Executive Director of the SEK Regional Juvenile Detention Center, requested the county preserve its board membership. He warned that newly passed House Bill 2329 overrides previous vetoes to extend juvenile detention lengths of stay from 45 to 90 days, an overhaul expected to saturate facility bed capacities across Kansas. (PDF Page 6)
The upcoming accounts payable batch totals $83,374.82 across 70 total departmental invoices. Key operations pulling from county resources include:
District Court (Dept 10): $17,054.00 total. Features a heavy capital deployment of $15,324.00 paid to McClelland Inc. as a 40% deposit for an audio system upgrade in Courtroom A, alongside legal conflict attorney fees. (PDF Page 8)
Courthouse General (Dept 43): $13,379.74 total. Includes localized utility overhead with Evergy facilities, commercial maintenance services with Cintas, and an elevator maintenance contract payout to Kone Inc. totaling $7,503.36. (PDF Page 10)
Road and Bridge Sales Tax Fund (Fund 222): $12,455.80 total. Driven primarily by a material and logistical invoice of $11,257.15 paid to Kunshek Chat and Coal Co. for sand and hauling operations supplying 284.99 tons of material. (PDF Page 3)
Juvenile Detention (Dept 18): $11,347.00 total. Encompasses the primary monthly regional detention fee of $11,194.00 alongside inmate medical costs. (PDF Page 9)
Landfill (Fund 108): $10,652.41 total. Designated entirely for regional municipal solid waste (MSW) processing agreements with Allen County Public Works. (PDF Page 2)
County Sheriff & Correctional (Fund 120): $6,810.57 total. Distributed across needs assessments, facility sprinkler inspections, plumbing repair labor ($1,440.00), and vehicle fleet equipment. (PDF Page 2)
The county records a unified cash balance across all liquid profiles of $15,781,466.81 with zero variance reported by the Clerk’s review. (PDF Page 11)
*Treasurer General Account (Landmark 3049): Main bank balance of $13,805,425.64. Adjusted down by $68,436.38 in outstanding checks and $931,493.16 in outstanding wires, balanced against $710,976.27 in transit deposits and minor adjustments for an ending book value of $13,621,735.67.
*Clerk’s Payables Account (Landmark 3064): Main statement balance of $457,742.07. Adjusted against $344,337.25 in outstanding checks, $95,945.93 in outstanding wires, and $922,985.86 in transits for an ending value of $608,031.14.
Certificates of Deposit (CDs): The county maintains a total CD investment portfolio of $1,550,000.00 structured across Union State Bank, Landmark Bank, and City State Bank.
The formal Fund Status Report outlines major operational accounts tracking into the mid-year boundary:
001 – General Fund: Opened the period at $821,487.83, logging $83,469.32 in monthly receipts against $305,900.27 in active disbursements, closing with an ending cash balance of $599,056.88. (PDF Page 11)
064 – Employee Benefit Fund: Holds a substantial reserve tracking at $1,087,833.14 after drawing down $121,982.84 in monthly expenses. (PDF Page 11)
120 – County Sheriff/Correctional: Closed period 5 with $330,789.46 in cash reserves following $277,052.64 in operational monthly expenditures. (PDF Page 11)
220 – Road and Bridge Fund: Tracks at a tight ending balance of $54,140.92, significantly insulated by the parallel 222 – Road & Bridge Sales Tax Fund which maintains $779,851.14 in reserve capital. (PDF Page 11)
224 – Road & Bridge Special Improvement: Retains an independent cash structure of $624,755.21. (PDF Page 12)
108 – Landfill Fund: Concluded the processing month with an active operational balance of $289,843.67. (PDF Page 12)
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him. Romans 8:28.
Karen Ann Endicott-Coyan, 72, passed on Friday morning, June 19, 2026, at Freeman Medical in Fort Scott with family beside her.
Karen was born August 6, 1953, to William Junior and Grace Lorene (Cash) Endicott, the fourth of seven children. She grew up in the Pawnee and Hiattville areas of Bourbon County. She was baptized at the Cherry Grove Baptist Church where she is a member. She learned many life-long skills as a member of 4-H. Karen graduated from Uniontown High School in 1971, and in September of 1971, she married Joel Raines. They had one son, Joseph William Raines, on July 29, 1972. They divorced in January 1973. Karen raised her son by herself while working and completing her education.
Karen graduated from Fort Scott Community College and attended Pittsburg State University majoring in accounting. During her career, she was employed for 5 years by Fort Scott Coca-Cola in accounts receivable; 14 years at Mid-Western Distribution in accounting, with her last position as Accounting Manager; 23.5 years at Mercy Hospital of Fort Scott, focusing on Medicare and Medicaid Reimbursement and Advocacy; and 1 year at Bates County Memorial Hospital in Butler, Missouri, in Reimbursement, before her cancer diagnosis forced her retirement.
On July 2, 1993, she married the man of her dreams, John A. Coyan, her soul mate and best friend. They enjoyed their life together on the farm and grew closer and more in love as each year passed. Their marriage was truly a blessing from God. Karen’s heart was shattered on July 31, 2019, whe`n her beloved John was called to his eternal home.
Karen enjoyed reading, cooking, especially baking, and working in her flowers, plants, and African Violets, as well as counted cross stitch and spending time with her family. Karen cherished time spent with her grandchildren. When Madelyn and Arminda were young, Karen and John made several trips each year to Pennsylvania. She was an excellent cook and baker, and truly enjoyed hosting get-togethers with family and friends.
Karen was a member of the Cherry Grove Baptist Church. She was a life-member of Bourbon County Fair Association, and former Treasurer; she had served as Pawnee Republican Precinct Committee Woman; Trustee of Pawnee Township; and Treasurer of the Pleasant View Cemetery Association for over 25 years. She served as a 4-H project leader while her son was a member. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star for many years. She served as Worthy Matron for 3 years, District Aide, Rand Committee Member, Grand Teller, and Special Page twice.
She is survived by her son, Joe Raines and Sonja Davis of Fort Scott, having moved from Roxboro, NC to be Karen’s care-givers; two granddaughters, Madelyn Raines, of Canton, Ohio, and Arminda Grace Drexler and husband John of Pennsylvania; a brother, Oscar Endicott and wife Ruth; sisters Michele Schick and husband Greg, and Billie Young and husband Steve; and a sister-in-law, Debbie Endicott, all of Fort Scott. She is also survived by a step-daughter, Suzann Audi and husband Ahmad; 3 step-grandchildren, Ali, Jawad, and Layla of Prairie View, IL; 5 nephews, Jim Endicott, Mike Endicott, Tim Endicott, William Schick, and Matthew Schick; and 6 nieces, Leanna Howard, Louella Howard, Stephanie Nimmo, Stacy Davis, Alycia Endicott, and Mary Grace Blaylock. In addition to her beloved husband John, she was also preceded in death by her parents, 2 sisters, Joyce Elaine Howard, and Joy Lee (Yodi) Endicott; a brother, Robert Endicott, and a brother-in-law, Dennis A. Howard.
Pastor Mike Bright will officiate a celebration of Karen’s homegoing at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, June 26, 2026, at the Cherry Grove Baptist Church, with burial following at the Pleasant View (Large) Cemetery, under the direction of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home. The family will greet friends Thursday evening, June 25, 2026, 6:00-7:30 p.m. at the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, with O.E.S. Service beginning at 6:00 p.m. Karen requested memorial donations to Care to Share, or Cherry Grove Baptist Church, and may be left in the care of the Konantz-Cheney Funeral Home, 15 W. Wall Street, P.O. Box 309, Fort Scott, KS, 66701. Friends and family may sign the online guest book and share memories at www.konantzcheney.com.
Katie Botello Named
2026 National Lowell Milken Center Fellow
The Lowell Milken Center (LMC) for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas, an international educational non-profit, has awarded its prestigious Fellowship to Katie Botello, a video production teacher at Sunnyside High School in Fresno, CA. Katie will arrive in Fort Scott on June 21st for a week of collaboration with LMC staff and the other members of the Fellowship.
The LMC Fellowship is a merit-based award for educators of all disciplines who value the importance of teaching respect and understanding through project-based learning. The Center selects exemplary teachers from the United States and around the world who will collaborate on projects that discover, develop, and communicate the stories of Unsung Heroes in history.
Katie Botello, a video production teacher from Fresno, CA, was recognized in 2019 as a Milken Educator. Katie is the coordinator of the Video Production Academy, a three-year grant-funded program aimed at building a school within a school. Her students learn hands-on production skills and earn certifications that land them work in the industry while still attending high school.
Last year, Katie earned her National Board Certification in Career Technical Education. She is on the board for the Fresno Clovis Community Media Alliance, completed a Journalism Teacher Fellowship with Cal Matters, and is actively working with Kincade Productions to get students in California recognition through the state for completing training as a production assistant. In September, she was given a Resolution from the State of California highlighting the work she has completed with her students. She loves working with community and business partners to help give her students real-world applications of the skills they learn in class.
LMC Executive Director Norm Conard says, “Katie’s expertise and experience utilizing project-based learning and interdisciplinary instructional approaches will significantly benefit our 2026 team of LMC Fellows.”
While in Fort Scott, LMC Fellows gain knowledge, educational resources, and support in helping students cultivate a passion for learning by creating projects that initiate positive change. Fellows will be equipped to develop Unsung Heroes projects with their students, applying and evaluating the stories of these role models who have changed the world throughout history.
Keys to the Kingdom
By Carolyn Tucker
Rad Dads
I’ve heard it said that any man can be a father, but it takes a real man to be a real dad. Having experienced a real dad for myself, and watching my late husband be a rad dad to our children for 34 years, I would agree with the lede statement. How fun it would be to spend another day with my dad – with both of us in our younger years! I’m grateful he did the “dad thing” right. He was affectionate, easily demonstrating his feelings of love and acceptance to me and my brother. Interestingly, fatherhood provides men with the choice of either being a rad dad or a bad dad. Yep, it’s a serious responsibility, so choose wisely.
As a daughter growing up, the one-on-one time I spent with Dad wasn’t financially costly or impressive by worldly standards. But to us, it was fun, memorable, and knit our hearts together for all time. Only once did we go quail hunting – I was a bad shot and we never did that again! We were members of the Stockton Saddle Club and we rode our horses with our friends every Monday night at the arena. We also went on trail rides and rode with the Club in the Stockton Black Walnut Festival parade. Dad taught me how to check the fluids in my vehicle, drive defensively and drive “with the traffic” in Springfield. His words were, “You gotta’ drive for yourself and the other man too.”
We would laugh together as we watched our favorite TV series: The Carol Burnette Show, All in the Family, The Honeymooners (Jackie Gleason), Mash 4077, Hogan’s Heroes, and The Dean Martin Show. We watched every Western series known to man: Gunsmoke, High Chaparral, Bonanza, The Virginian, Rawhide, The Big Valley, Wagon Train, and The Rifleman. I wouldn’t trade those special times with Dad for love nor money.
Dad knew how to get the most out of life and that included being the spiritual leader of our home. When the church doors were open, we were there. At home, we found joy in singing gospel songs around the piano. We did our best to study and practice the Word of God. Dad taught us to have a reverential fear of God and to promptly obey Him. A Christian father is a flesh-and-blood example of God to his children. Godly dads who represent their heavenly Father well in front of their kids will subconsciously cause them to believe, accept, and trust Jesus much easier. A rad dad works hard for the good of his family and cares about love, peace, laughter, and the spiritual health of his household.
Fathers, if you make mistakes (and you will because you’re human) God will stand by you. If you fall short of His commandments, He’ll still love you. If you feel worried, He will touch your heart and lift your soul. If you don’t know what to do, He’ll show you. God is wide-awake and He’ll not abandon you in your responsibilities as a dad.
Don’t be blinded by the “bigness” of fatherhood. Don’t allow yourself to be waylaid by our stressed-out, freaked-out culture. And please remember to set aside time to play with, love on, and enjoy your kids! Satan will use every means to make you think you don’t have time to hang out with them. Your kids desperately need you to simply relax and “be you” with them! Your calling as a godly dad is not overlooked by God. He knows every hill and curve along the sometimes bumpy road of fatherhood.
The Key: Fathers, with God’s help, you’ve got what it takes to be a rad dad!
Heather Hurt Named
2026 National Lowell Milken Center Fellow
The Lowell Milken Center (LMC) for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas, an international educational non-profit, has awarded its prestigious Fellowship to Heather Hurt, a fifth-grade teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary Central in Alabama. Heather will arrive in Fort Scott on June 21st for a week of collaboration with LMC staff and the other members of the Fellowship.
The LMC Fellowship is a merit-based award for educators of all disciplines who value the importance of teaching respect and understanding through project-based learning. The Center selects exemplary teachers from the United States and around the world who will collaborate on projects that discover, develop, and communicate the stories of Unsung Heroes in history.
Heather Hurt, a fifth-grade teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary Central in Alabama, was honored in 2018 as an Alabama Milken Educator. She is known for her engaging creativity, exceptional relationships with students and parents, and her passion for preparing students for success beyond the standards. Her interdisciplinary, creative, and tech-savvy lessons encourage students to think outside the box while fostering collaboration, curiosity, and confidence in the classroom.
Within her school community, Hurt is recognized for creating meaningful learning experiences that inspire students to become innovative thinkers and lifelong learners. Her commitment to student growth and creative education reflects the mission and values of the Lowell Milken Center.
LMC Executive Director Norm Conard says, “Heather’s collaborative spirit and innovative approach to education make her an excellent fit for our Fellowship program. Her interdisciplinary and creative lessons encourage students to think beyond the classroom, and her work with the 2026 Fellows team will undoubtedly yield many great projects and ideas.”
While in Fort Scott, LMC Fellows gain knowledge, educational resources, and support in helping students cultivate a passion for learning by creating projects that initiate positive change. Fellows will be equipped to develop Unsung Heroes projects with their students, applying and evaluating the stories of these role models who have changed the world throughout history.
This is an opinion column. It is one person’s read of a pending criminal case, not legal advice or a prediction of any outcome. Mika Milburn-Kee is presumed innocent and has the right to contest the charges in court.
The jury trial for Bourbon County Commissioner Mika Milburn-Kee is scheduled to begin July 6, 2026 and to last three days, with a pre-trial conference set for June 26. She is being prosecuted not by the local county attorney but by the Kansas Attorney General’s office, on two misdemeanor counts stemming from an October 25, 2025 incident in the commission meeting room while it was in use as an early-voting site:
For background on the charges and the security-camera footage at the center of the case, see our earlier reporting on the jury-trial schedule, the video of the incident, and a step-by-step walkthrough of how the county runs an election.
The fascinating thing about this case is how hard it is to find an example that tells you how it might go. In nearly every comparable situation, the accused takes a deal of some kind. By the time the Attorney General is confident enough in an election case to bring charges, I can’t find a single Kansas example of someone who decided that fighting it in front of a jury was worth the risk of losing and possibly going to jail. As FortScott.biz has documented in a review of similar prosecutions, every comparable case that could be found ended in a plea or a diversion. None went to a jury verdict. That makes Milburn-Kee’s decision to demand a jury trial genuinely unusual.
The best possible outcome for Commissioner Milburn-Kee would likely have been a diversion — the kind offered to Meghan Blubaugh in her 2024 Sedgwick County case, where she refused to turn a campaign T-shirt inside out while voting. Blubaugh’s deal required about $160 in court costs and completion of a county election-worker training. A diversion is a deferred-prosecution agreement that ends in dismissal rather than a conviction if it’s completed successfully. It would not have triggered the forfeiture-of-office statute. In other words, a diversion might have let Milburn-Kee keep her commission seat.
The catch is timing. Diversions are typically offered early. In the Blubaugh case, the diversion order was filed the day after her arraignment. We are well past that point in Milburn-Kee’s case, which makes a diversion now highly unlikely. A plea deal, on the other hand, often comes together late in the process, so that option may genuinely still be on the table.
Because no comparable Kansas case has gone all the way to a verdict, it’s hard to say what sentence the Attorney General would push for if Milburn-Kee lost at trial. As a rule, prosecutors ask for harsher penalties when a defendant forces a full trial, while the penalties attached to negotiated pleas tend to be relatively light.
The most useful data point is the recent case of Joe Ceballos-Armendariz, the former mayor of Coldwater, who in April 2026 pled guilty to three counts of the very same statute charged in Milburn-Kee’s Count 2 — K.S.A. 25-2413. In exchange, the state dismissed six felony counts. His sentence: a $2,000 fine plus costs, six months in jail per count (suspended), and a year of probation. His case is not a clean parallel — he was negotiating down from felonies, and non-citizen-voting issues raised stakes that don’t apply here — but it is the clearest recent example of how this particular election statute gets resolved in practice: with a plea, and with jail time suspended.
Having watched the actual video evidence in this case, taking it all the way to a jury without some kind of deal looks like an extraordinarily risky move. Unless Milburn-Kee’s attorneys (the Leawood criminal-defense firm of Bath & Edmonds) see a nuance in the election law they believe will virtually guarantee a not-guilty verdict, it is hard to imagine a plea isn’t high on the list of options they are weighing with her.
My best guess is that the defense is using the cost and uncertainty of a three-day jury trial as leverage to negotiate the most favorable plea possible. But that theory weakens the closer we get to July 6. Plea agreements let the state conserve resources — accepting a lighter sentence from someone who admits guilt so prosecutors can spend their effort on the defendants who insist they did nothing wrong that the Attorney General wants to make an example out of. The closer a case gets to trial, the more work the Attorney General has already sunk into it, and the smaller the resource-saving benefit of offering a lenient deal becomes. At some point the calculation stops being about conserving effort and comes down to one question: how confident is the state that it can win in front of a jury?
Jury trials are unpredictable, but they still turn on the facts and the law. The defense requested and received the state’s roughly 161-page discovery file on May 28, and the original complaint listed 15 witnesses for the prosecution. Requesting that discovery triggers a limited reciprocal obligation: the defense must let the state inspect any documents or objects it intends to introduce as evidence at trial. So far, nothing of that sort has appeared on the public docket.
For readers who want the commissioner’s own perspective, FortScott.biz has published her letter to the editor. The election-room dispute also resurfaced at the June 15 commission meeting.
If other similar cases are any guide, this case will be settled with some sort of plea deal before the jury, but anything is possible. Milburn-Kee may become the rare Kansas defendant who bets on a jury in an election case.
Being charged with a crime is not the same as being found guilty. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven otherwise.
FortScott.biz publishes opinion pieces with a wide variety of different views. Letters can be submitted to [email protected] for potential publication.
Newly Hatched Bagworms Are Set to Cause Damage
If you haven’t scouted for bagworms yet, trust me – they are out and about! They are a recurring pest in our area and can cause significant damage to landscape plants. Unfortunately, many homeowners do not become concerned about bagworms until they notice the large bags hanging from trees and shrubs. By that point, the damage has often already been done. Fortunately, the ideal window for control is approaching.
Bagworms overwinter as eggs inside the protective bags left by female moths. From mid-May through mid-June, larvae hatch and emerge through the bottom opening of the old bag. They immediately begin constructing their own miniature silk-lined bags, incorporating bits of foliage into the structure for camouflage. Once the bags are completed, the young larvae begin feeding. As the larvae grow, their bags expand.
By mid- to late August, feeding is complete. The mature larvae firmly attach their bags to twigs and branches, where they remain protected as they complete their life cycle.
Bagworms are most commonly found on eastern redcedar and juniper, but they also attack arborvitae, spruce, and pine. In addition, many broadleaf trees, shrubs, and ornamental plants can serve as hosts. After defoliating a plant, bagworms may migrate in search of additional food sources, attacking either the same species or entirely different plants.
The extent of damage can range from minor to severe. As larvae grow larger, their appetite increases dramatically. In some cases, what appears to be a healthy tree can become heavily defoliated in a very short period of time. Several consecutive years of severe feeding can weaken and eventually kill trees, especially conifers.
There are two primary methods of bagworm control: cultural and chemical.
For those who prefer not to use insecticides, handpicking bags from infested plants can be an effective management strategy. This is often easiest during the winter months when the bags are more visible against dormant foliage and branches. However, it is important to remember that a single overlooked bag may contain hundreds to more than a thousand eggs. Handpicking also becomes impractical when plants are heavily infested or too large to reach safely.
Chemical control is most effective when larvae are young and actively feeding. In most years, bagworm larvae begin emerging from overwintering bags in mid- to late May. Because egg hatch occurs over 4 to 5 weeks, treatment timing is important. Insecticide applications made in late summer are often ineffective because the larvae are larger, more resistant, and may have already stopped feeding.
The third week of June is generally the ideal time to apply insecticides for bagworm control. Products containing spinosad, acephate, cyfluthrin, or permethrin are commonly used and are available under a variety of trade names. Always read and follow label directions, and check the active ingredients to ensure the product is labeled for bagworm control.
For more information on managing bagworms, please get in touch with me at your local K-State Extension, Southwind District office in Iola, Erie, Fort Scott, and Yates Center.
Krista Harding is a K-State Research and Extension Horticulture agent assigned to the Southwind District. She may be reached at [email protected] or 620-244-3826.
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