Lavon K. Middleton (Richard), 84, of Uniontown, Kansas, passed away Thursday, November 6, 2025, at Moran Manor in Moran, Kansas, surrounded by her loved ones.
She was born on Nov. 30, 1940, in Redfield, KS to Vern Richard and Mary Richard (Reinecke). Lavon graduated from High School in Uniontown, KS in 1958. She was Uniontown’s first ever Homecoming Queen. She went on to marry Kenneth Middleton her high school sweetheart on July 22, 1961, at Paint Creek Church in Redfield, KS.
Lavon followed her beloved husband all over the world during his time in the Navy as they raised their family before settling in their home in Uniontown.
Lavon was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She was an excellent homemaker and cook. She babysat many local kids for her family and friends. Lavon enjoyed spending time with her family and playing cards weekly with her lady’s group. She was an active member of the Methodist Church until her health would no longer allow it. She enjoyed attending her grandkids’ events and family get togethers. She loved the small-town community life of Uniontown, and her morning coffee club get togethers at Union Station. Lavon was a devout Christian, believing in the Lord, Jesus Christ, for her eternal destiny.
She is survived by her husband, Kenneth, of 64 years. Their 3 children: Sandy (Perry) Lackey of Eldorado Springs, Mo., Steve (Chris) Middleton and Greg (Semina) Middleton of Uniontown, Ks., 11 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and beloved brother Lester Richard.
The family has chosen to hold a private Celebration of Life ceremony.
The Bourbon County Agenda for their meeting on 11.17.25 at 5:30 PM at 210 S National Avenue. There will also be the final canvassing of election results at 5:15 PM.
We’ll be collecting new or gently used coats (kids & adults), gloves, hats, scarves, blankets, and monetary donations. All items will go directly to local families in need.
Thank you for helping us make a difference for local families this winter.
Respectfully, L.W. Beerbower
Squadron Commander
Sons of the American Legion Post 25
📞 620-215-1599
Senator Marshall: I Came to Congress to Fix the Cost of Healthcare
As millions of Americans grappled with the impacts of the longest government shutdown in history, and the issue of healthcare affordability rose to the front lines, it was what I spoke about the majority of the time when talking with the press.
I joined Fox News, NewsNation, Fox Business, CNN, Newsmax, and KCMO to break down Democrats’ political games and Republicans’ plan to lower the cost of healthcare.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch my full remarks on the Senate floor.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch the full interview on Fox News.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch the full interview on CNN.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch the full interview on NewsNation.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch the full interview on Fox Business.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch the full interview on Newsmax.
Click HERE or on the image above to watch the full interview on KCMO.
This summary provides an outline of the agenda for the Bourbon County Commission meeting on Monday, November 17, 2025, and detailed information from the accompanying packet.
Bourbon County Commission Agenda
Monday, November 17, 2025, 5:30 PMBourbon County Commission Chambers, 210 S National Ave. (Page 1)
I. Opening Items
Call Meeting to Order
Roll Call
Pledge of Allegiance
Prayer
II. Approval of Agenda
III. Approval of Minutes
Approval of Minutes (unofficial until approved) 11.10.25
IV. Bourbon County Planning Commission
Moratorium on New Commercial and Industrial Business
V. Consent Agenda
Approval of 11.14.25 Accounts Payable ($342,223.45) (not mailed until approved on 11.18.25)
Approval of 10.31.25 Payroll ($243,122.51)
Approval of 11.14.25 Payroll ($299,154.82)
VI. Executive Sessions
Executive session pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(2) for consultation with an attorney (Jacob Bielenberg & Bob Johnson)
Executive session pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(1) to discuss personnel matters (Don Doherty & Mika Milburn)
VII. Public Comments for Items Not on The Agenda
VIII. Old Business
Sheriff Lease for Vehicles
2026 Benefits
Sanitation Discussion
Elevator Discussion
Stop Sign removal north & southbound 205th & Overbrook
AC Tank and burner ($186,160) (Dustin Hall/Kenny Allen)
Build Agenda for following meeting
X. Commission Comments
XI. Adjournment
Detailed Information Packet Summary
Meeting Minutes & Follow-Up
Minutes of the November 10, 2025, Meeting (Pages 3-5)
Health Insurance: Commissioners approved a plan with three options, aiming to balance employee affordability and the county’s budget (Page 4).
Plan A: County contributes $844 (single) to $2,678 (family) (Page 4).
Plan B: County contributes $769 (single) to $2,440 (family) (Page 4).
Plan C (Alt B3): County contributes $836 (single) to $2,051 (family) (Page 4).
Sheriff’s Vehicle Lease: Sheriff Martin and Bryan Murphy discussed the lease of 11 vehicles for an annual cost of $137,449, with a first-year total of $399,303 for equipping (Page 4).
Bitcoin Mining/Noise Resolution: A lengthy discussion occurred with representatives from Evotech about their Bitcoin Mining operations, gas wells, and plans to mitigate noise (Page 3). The discussion on the proposed Noise Resolution was tabled because the county attorney was absent (Page 4).
Longevity Pay: The Clerk was requested to provide information on the cost of incorporating longevity pay into employee salaries instead of a lump-sum bonus (Page 4).
6th Judicial Office Space: The Commission approved a motion to hire a contractor for up to $15,000 for improvements to a trailer behind the courthouse and eliminate rent for the office once the transition to the new space occurs (Page 5).
Janitor Position: HR was directed to handle the posting and filling of the open janitor position (Page 4).
Future Meeting Topics/Next Agenda (Pages 5-6)
Action Items: Clerk to bring Longevity calculations and projections for sales tax/sheriff vehicle leasing (Page 5).
Tabled Topics: Sanitation discussion, Elevator Discussion, Stop sign removal (205th street & Overbrook), Emerson Payroll, Noise Resolution, Letter of Support Tri-Valley, and Road Closure application Patricia Daniels were all tabled until the next meeting (Page 5).
Planning Commission Moratorium (Page 7)
The Bourbon County Planning Committee unanimously recommends a moratorium requiring any new commercial or industrial business (not agricultural) in unincorporated areas to obtain a special use permit prior to commencing operations (Page 7).
The purpose is to protect residents while the Planning Committee develops more detailed and comprehensive zoning regulations (Page 7).
Financial Approvals
Accounts Payable Totals (as of 11/14/2025) (Pages 8-46)
Grand Total: $342,223.45 (Page 44, 46).
Largest Fund Totals:
Employee Benefit Fund: $91,972.89 (Page 44)
County Sheriff/Correctional Fund: $50,646.27 (Page 44)
Bond Sales Tax – County Jail Fund: $14,681.63 (Page 44)
Payroll Fund Appropriation Totals
10/31/2025 Payroll Total: $243,122.51 (Page 48).
11/14/2025 Payroll Total: $299,154.82 (Page 50).
New Business Details
Road Closure Application – Patricia A. Daniels (Page 57)
Applicant: Patricia A. Daniels (Page 57).
Request: Permanent closure of a 62’ wide, 125’ section of 267th Street between lots 13, BIK17 and Lot 16, BIK 18 in Woodards addition to Garland (Page 57).
The application is signed and notarized by the adjacent property owner(s) (Page 57).
Project: Bridge replacement of NBI Bridge No. 000061103206020 on Jayhawk Road over a tributary to the Marmaton River (Page 59).
Total Fee:$74,000.00 (Page 60).
Payment Schedule: 55% upon Field Check Plans submittal, 40% upon Office Check Plans submittal, and 5% upon KDOT Final Plans approval (Page 60).
The agreement includes various engineering services such as topographical survey, R/W descriptions, and permit applications (Page 59, 61).
The County is responsible for the cost of the separate geology investigation (Page 60, 63).
AC Tank and Burner – Proposal from Asphalt Drum Mixers Inc. (ADM) (Pages 64-70)
Equipment: ATD15 Direct Fired Asphalt Tank (15,000-gallon horizontal tank) and associated components (Page 65).
Price:$186,160.00 USD (Page 69).
Payment Terms: 30% down payment with the signed order, and the 70% balance due when the equipment is ready to ship (Page 69).
Customer Responsibilities: Include supplying electrical power, fuel tank/lines, gas connection, a 100# propane tank, asphalt and hot oil lines, all receiving/unloading, erection, installation, foundations, and required permits/stamping (Page 66).
Resolution of Election Results (Pages 51-54)
The resolution certifies the results of the City School General Election held on November 4, 2025 (Page 51).
Total Ballots Cast: 2,262 (Page 51).
Selected County Offices:
County Commissioner District 4: Gregg Motley (454 votes) (Page 51).
County Commissioner District 5: Mika Milburn-Kee (268 votes) (Page 51).
Letter of Support Tri-Valley (Page 55-56)
Request from Tri-Valley Developmental Services for a letter of support for the CTD#10 Transportation Council’s application for the continuation of KDOT funding (Page 55).
A draft letter is provided, stating the Bourbon County Commissioners support the transportation providers in their application (Page 56).
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce announces the 3rd Annual Christmas on the Bricks Festival will take place Thursday, December 4th through Sunday, December 7th throughout Fort Scott’s Downtown Historic District.
This year’s festivities begin Thursday evening with the annual Parade of Lights, themed “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” The parade begins at 6 p.m., traveling along the brick-lined streets, and concluding with the lighting of the Mayor’s Christmas Tree. The ceremony will feature a performance by the Fort Scott High School Select Ensemble, followed by a fireworks display and a kettle-corn booth. Families are then invited to the Celebration Room at Papa Don’s Pizza for Pictures with Santa.
New attractions for 2025 include a hay climb slide and Santa’s Express Train Rides for children at 121 E. 2nd St. in the Bids & Dibs parking lot. The festival also welcomes country music artist Jake Gill and his five-piece band, performing Friday evening at Liberty Theatre as part of his “Home for Christmas” holiday tour.
Throughout the weekend, downtown Fort Scott will be filled with holiday activities and entertainment, including a synthetic ice-skating rink, candlelight tours of the Fort Scott National Historic Site National Park, horse-drawn carriage rides, historical trolley tours, a living nativity, late-night shopping, Holiday Market vendors, music BINGO, Christmas Karaoke, The Artificers 9th Annual Artist Showcase, wreath-making and floral centerpiece classes, a gingerbread house contest, a Christmas paint party and lettering class, candy-making demonstrations, firepits with s’mores, and specialty tastings featuring bourbon, beer, whiskey, and wine.
Young visitors will enjoy writing Letters to Santa and creating holiday crafts at Santa’s Workshop, located inside the Empress Event Center. Complimentary gift wrapping for purchases made from local retailers during the festival will also be available at the Empress.
Some activities and classes—such as carriage rides, workshops, tastings, and special events—require advance registration. Attendees are encouraged to visit fortscott.com/Christmas-on-the-bricks to register early and ensure they don’t miss out on limited-space opportunities.
Commemorative festival merchandise – including sweatshirts, long-sleeved tees, canvas bags, and brick-ornament keepsakes – is now available online at fortscott.com/Christmas-on-the-bricks, with a limited supply also available at the Information Booth at Wall and Main Streets during the event.
The Chamber encourages everyone to follow the Fort Scott Christmas on the Bricks Facebook page and visit fortscott.com/Christmas-on-the-bricks for updates, announcements, and complete event details. Printed schedules will soon be available at the Chamber of Commerce and downtown businesses. For more information, contact the Chamber at 620-223-3566.
Today, Friday, November 14th
is the final day of MATCH WEEK!
Match Week ends TODAY — this is your last opportunity to have your charitable contribution matched through the Patterson Family Foundation.
This special giving opportunity allows your donation to go even further, supporting the organizations, programs, and projects that strengthen our community.
You may contribute directly to the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation General Fund and/or choose from a variety of participating funds included here and listed below.
If you’ve been considering year-end giving, this is the perfect time to maximize your impact and support the causes that matter most to you.
🌟 Give today and help us finish Match Week strong! Contributions of ANY amount are welcome and appreciated!
Mail a check postmarked today, made payable to FSACF with your choice of fund(s) noted, to PO Box 901, Fort Scott, KS 66701
Drop off your donation check or cash to the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, 231 E. Wall St. today until 5pm
Thank you for investing in the future of Fort Scott and Bourbon County!
Donations are fully tax-deductible.
Charitable gift receipts will be sent to donors. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have questions about Match Week: visit fortscottgives.org or call Foundation Board Member Lindsay Madison at 620-223-3566. Thank you!
Becky Tourtillott, 2025/26 Chairman of the Foundation
Volunteers from left: Craig Campbell, Jared Weaver, and Matthew Wells, with the sledgehammer, lay the floor for the synthetic skate rink at the Gathering Pavilion on North National Avenue on November 13.
The skate rink in downtown Fort Scott will soon be ready for the December 5 opening.
The Glide Fort Scott is a 48-by-28-foot synthetic ice skating rink located under the Gathering Square Pavilion, just west of the Fort Scott National Historic Site. across from Brickstreet BBQ Restaurant.
Volunteers Craig Campbell, Jared Weaver and Matthew Wells , along with some inmates from the Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center, were assembling the flooring on November 13 on a mild fall day.
Matt Wells, Craig Campbell, a Bourbon County Jail inmate, and Jared Weaver assemble the flooring for the rink on November 13. A Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Deputy is at far right.
Campbell, Weaver, and Wells volunteered last year also on the project, which was disassembled and stored until the annual Christmas on the Bricks weekend this December. Robert Coon also volunteered to use his skid steer to move all the materials from storage to the rink site. The flooring materials were made last year and stored, and are now reused for the project.
Once the flooring was finished, the next step was the railing around the perimeter of the rink, then the Christmas lights.
The Glide Fort Scott, from its Facebook page.
Volunteers work on the skate rink in preparation for the Dec. 5 opening date.
Patty LaRoche. 2023. Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection www.alittlefaithlift.com AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
Someone once said, “A candle loses nothing if it helps to light another.” Encouragers know that. They look for ways to recognize others who are disheartened or just having a “blah day” and find ways to cheer them up. The high school where I teach, the church that I attend, the retreats where I speak, the grocery store where I shop…they all offer endless opportunities to encourage others by telling them how talented or creative or helpful or needed or valued they are. Endless opportunities. And I’m sure, dear reader, that even though your opportunities might be different than mine, they exist just the same. Why don’t we allow our candles to do more?
What keeps us from offering words of encouragement? Is it jealousy? Insecurity? Laziness? Are we fearful that our “quota” will be used up and we won’t have any left for the “really important” people we need to build up?
Saint Paul was an encourager. He constantly wrote letters to various churches, praising them for their faithfulness, for the use of their spiritual gifts, and for their sacrifice in “running the race” and not quitting. Even from his prison cell, he galvanized fellow Christians, inspiring them to continue the work he was prevented from doing. In his letter to the Thessalonians, he wasted no words: “…encourage one another and build one another up…”
I have been the recipient of encouragement that has changed my life’s direction. When we lived in Houston and attended a Bible church, Dave and I became friends with the pastor, Jack, and his wife, Lael. It was she who pushed me to write down some of my crazy stories, realizing there were spiritual applications in all of them. Even though I felt totally inadequate when it came to writing or speaking, Lael saw potential and encouraged me.
That same friend also dragged me along to a conference for professional speakers. It was there I was critiqued by Carol Kent who later asked me to “come on board” and join her group of Christian speakers. Both Lael and Carol motivated me to write and rewrite and rewrite some more, to practice my speaking, and to never give up (and trust me, I wanted to).
Elaine, my Fort Scott friend, listened to my story about my struggles establishing a “platform” so that my name would be recognized and I could get my book published. It was she who suggested I contact the Tribune to submit articles for its religion section. It was she who sent me a wonderfully supportive e-mail after my first article was printed.
My lawyer friend Rick expressed concern that I might not be thick-skinned enough for this newspaper-writing task, yet he kindly offered to proof my articles before I wrote something that either got me sued or caused a response that made me cry.
And there’s my faithful husband, Dave, who finds a way to see potential in whatever I undertake and praises my efforts, even when I fail.
Returning to teaching this year has shown me how desperate teens are to feel like they matter. A recent assignment in which they were to write about an area in which they are hurting followed by a response to themselves, seeing something positive in their area of heartbreak, left me grieving for the things most of them have experienced. How blessed I was to write on each one a note to offer them hope by telling them that God never makes a mistake and that I see their value!
Encouragers have used their candles to light mine, and I am determined to spread that light to others I meet. On the “encouragement continuum of life,” where do you fall? Are you the candle that spreads its energy, or are you the one that selfishly hoards your wick’s potential? I “encourage” you to start today. Look for ways to compliment, to build up, and to inspire someone else. It just might be the best way to ensure your own light never gets extinguished.
The October meeting of Starlite FCE was held at the Presbyterian Village meeting room. President Glenda Miller called the meeting to order and vice president Joyce Allen led the club in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and the club collect. Eleven members were in attendance and reported that they had volunteered twelve hours and had recycled 1305 pounds.
Letha Johnson was recognized for having a birthday. Glenda read a Thank You note for sponsoring a Fair premium from Miles Pollock. Karen Peery presented the treasurer’s report.
Glenda presented information on the poppy honoring Veterans. She informed us that it is to be worn on the right side and that the red represents the blood shed and black center is for those who died and the green leaves represent the grassy fields. Deb Lust announced that the speaker for the Veterans Day event will be Retired Sergent Arnold Skofield at the VFW Post and will be speaking on the Viet man Era. The VFW will be hosting a ham and bean dinner. Deb also informed the club about the Honor Flights.
Old business consisted of Glenda reminding the club to fill out and return their insurance benefit card. New business consisted of Glenda announcing that the district meeting will be in Parsons and that Bourbon County is responsible for providing breakfast. LeAnna Taylor, Karen Peery and Deb Lust volunteered to provide quick bread, Joyce Allen will bring juice and Glenda Miller will bring muffins.
Before the meeting the members put together gift bags to present to veterans in the area.
Refreshments of pumpkin dessert, candy and drinks were provided by Glenda and Angela and enjoyed by all.
The next scheduled planning commission meeting will be on 11/19/25 at 5:30 PM in the Bourbon County commission room located at 210 S National Avenue. Future meetings will be held the first Wednesday of each month at 5:30.
