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The Kansas Attorney General’s office has asked Senior Judge Merlin G. Wheeler (the senior judge assigned to the case by the Kansas Supreme Court) for permission to add a felony charge against County Commissioner Mika Milburn-Kee, days before her jury trial is set to begin.
In a motion filed June 25, Assistant Attorney General Olivia R. Higdon asked to add a third count, Intimidation of Voters, a severity level 7 nonperson felony under K.S.A. 25-2415. Milburn-Kee has until now faced only two misdemeanors, both stemming from an Oct. 25, 2025 incident captured on video, when the county commission room was being used as an early-voting polling place.
The stakes rise sharply if the felony is added. A severity level 7 felony can carry a prison term of roughly 11 to 34 months, depending on criminal history, plus a fine of up to $100,000. By comparison, the Class A misdemeanor carries up to one year in county jail and a $2,500 fine, and the Class B misdemeanor up to six months and a $1,000 fine.
The State argues no new facts are alleged, noting that its original probable-cause affidavit already referenced voter intimidation and that it told the defense during plea talks it was weighing the charge. The motion was one of several filings the State made June 25 ahead of the pretrial hearing on June 26, and the judge has not ruled.
If the amendment is granted, what has been a two-misdemeanor case headed to a jury becomes a felony prosecution. A three-day jury trial is set for July 6 through 8. Milburn-Kee is presumed innocent unless and until a jury decides otherwise.
The criminal case against Bourbon County Commissioner Mika Milburn-Kee returns to court on Friday, June 26, for a pretrial hearing at 10 a.m. at the Bourbon County Courthouse in Fort Scott. Residents who want to follow the case can attend in person.
Milburn-Kee faces two misdemeanor charges filed by the Kansas Attorney General’s office in March. The first, interference with the conduct of public business in a public building, is a Class A nonperson misdemeanor. The second, disorderly election conduct, comes from the state’s polling-place “three-foot rule.” A conviction on the election-conduct count would carry forfeiture of office under Kansas law.
The charges stem from Oct. 25, 2025, when the county commission room was being used as an early-voting polling place, an encounter that was captured on video. Milburn-Kee has pleaded not guilty and has demanded a jury trial.
A pretrial hearing is a working session before the trial begins. The judge and the attorneys use it to narrow the issues, settle which witnesses and exhibits will be allowed, resolve any outstanding motions, and confirm the schedule. No verdict is reached. It sets the stage for a jury to hear the case.
A three-day jury trial is scheduled for July 6 through 8 in Courtroom A at the Bourbon County Courthouse, starting at 9 a.m. each day. A jury of six, plus one alternate, would decide the case. The Attorney General’s office is prosecuting, and Milburn-Kee is represented by private counsel. FortScott.biz has also looked at how similar Kansas election cases have been resolved.
A charge is an accusation, not a finding of guilt, and Milburn-Kee is presumed innocent unless and until a jury decides otherwise.
FORT SCOTT, Kan. — Friends and community members are invited to celebrate the retirement of Pat Simpson, who is concluding 26 years of dedicated service.
A retirement reception honoring Simpson will be held on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Bourbon County Courthouse – Southwind Extension District Office, 210 S. National Ave., Fort Scott.
The event will be a come-and-go reception, providing an opportunity for friends, coworkers, and community members to congratulate Simpson and thank her for her years of commitment and service. Refreshments will be served.
A former maintenance worker’s photos of crumbling pipe insulation prompted a Kansas environmental official to walk the building. The early word, relayed by the county’s emergency manager, was that nothing looked like an immediate hazard as long as the material stays undisturbed. No samples have been taken, and the state is still reviewing.
Questions about asbestos in the Bourbon County Courthouse, raised publicly this week by a former maintenance worker who photographed deteriorating pipe insulation in the basement, led to a visit from a representative from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to the nearly century-old building. According to the county’s emergency manager, the representative said during the walkthrough that he did not see anything hazardous that had to be addressed right now, as long as the material is not disturbed. The representative is conferring with others at the agency and will get back to the county with more detail about what actions or precautions should be taken.
The courthouse was built in the 1930s, and asbestos is common in buildings of its era. None of the officials contacted for this story disputed that it is likely present. The question residents have been asking is a different one. Is it dangerous, and is anything being done about it?
Asbestos is generally most dangerous when it is crumbling or broken up and its fibers become airborne, where they can be breathed in. Whether the courthouse material is in fact asbestos, and whether it is releasing any fibers, has not been determined, because no samples have been collected and tested. A visual walkthrough cannot answer that on its own.
The issue was raised by William Jackson, who worked in the courthouse maintenance this spring. He said he found insulation and ceiling tiles he believed were asbestos deteriorating in the basement, with dust collecting on supplies and on workers’ desks, and that he could not find any asbestos records in the county’s maintenance files. He sent his supervisor a written request for permission to have the material tested.
Jackson said he sent the request Friday and was fired Saturday morning. He believes the two were connected and that he was let go for raising the concern. County officials declined to comment on his departure.
After Jackson’s photos circulated, Bourbon County Emergency Manager Lou Howard walked the building with a KDHE representative, who also had the photos that had been sent to the agency.
“He stated that at the time he looked, he did not see anything that was concerning,” Howard said. “They did not see anything that was hazardous right now that had to be addressed.”
“He did say that if there was active construction going on at the time, then it would be a concern. But nothing is being disturbed. Everything is as it should be.”
Lou Howard, Bourbon County Emergency Manager
Howard said she offered to walk the representative through the rest of the courthouse and that he said he did not need to, based on what he had already seen. She said in the past an area basement had been used as the county’s emergency operations center until other space became available. The review is not finished. The representative was passing the information and photos to a supervisor, and the county is waiting to hear what action it should take, which could include further testing.
Howard’s account is the most direct word so far on the courthouse. However, it was a visual walkthrough, not laboratory sampling. No material was collected and tested, and the representative did not view the entire building. Some residents have worried that deteriorating material in the basement could send fibers into the building’s heating and cooling system and on to other floors. The walkthrough did not include air sampling or an evaluation of that system, and the state’s guidance to the county is still pending.
The caution about disturbed material is also the heart of the original complaint. Jackson’s concern was that the insulation is already breaking down. Confirming whether that is releasing any asbestos fibers would require testing.
For now, the practical takeaway for residents and courthouse employees is limited but real. The early, visual look reported by the county found nothing requiring immediate action, the chief risk would come from disturbing the material, and a final determination from the state is still to come.
FortScott.biz will update this story when KDHE provides further guidance.
The Kansas Department of Transportation requests comments on an amendment to the Federal Fiscal Year 2026-2029 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) document.
The STIP is a project specific publication that lists all KDOT administered projects, regardless of funding source, and includes projects for counties and cities as well as projects on the State Highway System. The list of projects being amended to the STIP can be viewed at ksdot.gov/about/publications-
The approval of the STIP amendment requires a public comment period, which concludes July 9. To make comments on the amendment, contact KDOT’s Division of Program and Project Management at 785-296-2252.
This information is available in alternative accessible formats. To obtain an alternative format, contact the KDOT Division of Communications, 785-296-3585 (Voice/Hearing Impaired-711).
This is the third and final installment in a series on the future of Bourbon County healthcare that is being cross-published by BourbonCountyMonitor.com and FortScott.biz. The first part can be found here, and the second can be found here.
Fort Scott, KS – While Freeman Health Systems as an organization is from all appearances on strong financial footing, the Freeman Hospital Fort Scott operation has experienced a series of documented substantial financial blows since opening in September 2025.
The Delay
Freeman began hiring for the Fort Scott hospital in spring 2025, with an expected June 1 opening. But on May 27, Four States Homepage reported the opening had been pushed to September because interior renovation issues had delayed the state survey needed before the hospital could open.
At the time, Freeman Health System Rural Hospitals CEO Renee Denton said Freeman had already hired slightly more than half the staff needed to open the facility. One employee hired during that period told the Monitor that Freeman continued paying them throughout the delay.
Medicaid and Medicare Certification Delay
The opening delay was followed by another financial setback: a lengthy wait for certification to bill Medicare and Medicaid.
At an April 16 joint meeting of the Bourbon County and Fort Scott City commissions, County Commissioner Gregg Motley, former vice chairman of the Freeman Fort Scott board, said the hospital had been seeing most patients at no cost while awaiting certification. Motley said more than 70% of Freeman Fort Scott patients were covered by Medicare or Medicaid, and the hospital hoped to retroactively bill for much of that care.
At the May 7 ribbon-cutting, Freeman Fort Scott Chief Administrative Officer Anita Walden told the Monitor the approvals had come through, but collecting payment for the previous nine months would not be simple. Walden said some payers were allowing Freeman to backdate claims to its certification date, while others were not.
A memo Motley sent to the County Commission also said Freeman had expected another health care provider to shift its lab work to the Fort Scott hospital. Instead, the provider stayed with its existing lab vendor, creating what the memo described as a seven-figure hole in Freeman’s planned budget.
“They’re not happy with their current situation.”
In an interview with the Monitor, Motley said those losses, combined with the roughly $1.4 million in lost revenue from the unlicensed 10 beds and growing maintenance problems in the building owned by Kansas Renewal Institute (KRI), have left Freeman in an untenable position.
“They’re not happy with their current situation,” Motley said. “They’ve received financial blow after financial blow. It was extremely disappointing to them that they will not be operating those 10 beds. They were hiring based on that.” Motley called it a “big budget hole.”
The Legal Action
That legal action Motley is advocating for would invoke the “clawback” clause in the original donation agreement between the county and Legacy Healthcare Foundation — which now also applies to KRI — transferring the property back to the county.
Under that clause, the county’s only remedy if the building owners default is to take back the property plus a cash repayment that shrinks over time — $1 million in year one, $750,000 in years two through four, and $500,000 in year five. After that, the county can reclaim nothing.
Motley said that window closes in November 2027. He said the $10,000 in legal fees approved by the commission during the April 14 meeting will go toward getting a legal opinion on whether the county has a strong case for reclaiming the building, and whether it can be accomplished within a reasonable amount of time and cost.
According to Motley, state officials had Kansas City-based Polsinelli Law Firm review the donation agreement, and the firm concluded the agreement had been breached. Motley said Freeman’s attorneys agreed with Polsinelli’s assesment.
The Transfer
Motley said that the lynchpin to this plan is Freeman agreeing to take the building, including all maintenance responsibilities. Motley says the healthcare provider has shown interest in doing so, but the county will require a binding legal agreement with them before initiating legal action to reclaim the building.”The county does not want this [building],” Motley said. “Before we ever file a lawsuit, we have to have an ironclad agreement with Freeman that says we are going to take over the building and the full maintenance of it.”Motley, who was voted as the commission’s point-man for the process, said that Kansas City-based MSB Law has been engaged to provide the legal opinion for the county.
The Employees
When asked what happens to the roughly 150 employees of KRI if the county is able to reclaim the building and transfer it to Freeman, Motley says that Freeman has discussed opening an operation similar to KRI in the building.”Well, again, Freeman hasn’t committed anything, but they have a KRI-like operation in Southwest Missouri called Ozark Center. And their plan would be to open a facility similar to that, get licensed for the 10 beds,” Motley said.Motley said the fate of KRI’s employees has been at the forefront of his mind. He said he told Freeman he wouldn’t pursue the deal unless they were committed, and that he asked what would happen to the workers.
“Where do you think we would get any employees to do the operation? We would look hard at the existing employees,” Motley said Freeman responded.Motley said the human cost has weighed heavily on him. He said the employees’ fate is “a huge concern of mine,” and that he pushed to keep the discussions private specifically to shield the people he knows and loves that work there.
The Lesser of Two Evils
Motley framed the choice as the lesser of two bad options. “I have to put them at risk a little bit in order to consider the whole county here,” Motley said.”I think the worst thing that could happen is we do nothing. KRI closes, all those people are gone. They don’t have a Freeman to go to now. Pasadena Lending or Legacy forecloses on the building and now we (sic) got an empty building owned by an organization that we know is ill intended.”
For Motley, the priority is maintaining ER and hospital services in Bourbon County, and that inaction on the part of the county puts those in the greatest amount of danger.”Any path we take is going to be risk. Any path. What’s the path of least risk? It is a huge risk to do nothing,” Motley said. “You know, you have two entities losing significant money every month. And what’s Freeman’s affinity for Fort Scott apart from ‘we have a break-even operation’? There is none.”
The Future
Regardless of what legal opinion the county receives, the commission’s direction remains uncertain. The board has been frequently and publicly divided.
During the March 9 meeting, which was the first time the commission discussed the potential legal action behind closed doors, the vote to go into closed session was not unanimous, with Commissioner Mika Milburn-Kee casting the sole dissenting vote.The first public vote on the legal action came at the April 14 commission meeting. Milburn-Kee again cast the lone vote against going into the executive session that preceded it, which included Pam Lanier, Freeman Health System’s director of government relations; state Rep. Rick James; state Sen. Tim Shallenburger; Fort Scott City Manager Brad Matkin; and County Counselor Bob Johnson.
After returning to open session, the commission voted 3-2 to approve a motion from Motley allocating $10,000 for legal fees and title work. Motley, Commissioner Joe Allen and Commissioner David Beerbower voted in favor; Milburn-Kee and Commission Chairman Samuel Tran opposed.
During a recess that followed, Tran was recorded saying, “We should have this conversation before we threw 10 Gs onto this dumpster fire.”During the April 27 meeting, after an identical split vote affirming the vote on April 14 and Motley’s appointment as contact person, Tran again expressed apprehension with the legal action.”And I’m saying nay for the same reason that I said no the very first time, because I don’t think this should be our wheelhouse,” Tran saidPrior to another 3-2 split vote during the May 4 meeting confirming a short list of law firms for Motley to approach for the legal opinion , Milburn-Kee requested that the details of the legal action be discussed publicly.”Can we move this discussion to the public, please, so we can talk more freely about what we’re asking them to do because I don’t even know what we’re asking them to do,” Milburn-Kee said.
Freeman’s Statement
In response to a request for comment regarding Freeman’s agreement with KRI and Freeman’s long-term viability in Fort Scott, Freeman Health System’s Media Relations Coordinator Kevin McClintock provided the following statement to the Monitor:
“As for KRI, we worked closely with their team to complete renovation of the hospital space, and we successfully passed licensure and life-safety surveys. Additionally, we look forward to working with KRI as we make necessary updates to the MRI suite. Freeman is not in a position to comment regarding KRI’s financial condition or ability to obtain licensure. Freeman Health System will continue to operate responsibly and make thoughtful decisions to ensure long-term sustainability while advancing access to care and remaining focused on meeting the healthcare needs of the rural communities we serve.”Because this reporting was expanded into a three-part series, the Monitor extended KRI an additional opportunity to comment. KRI did not respond before publication.
The Lowell Milken Center (LMC) for Unsung Heroes in Fort Scott, Kansas, has awarded its 2026 Fellowship to 12 educators. As part of their week-long experience in Fort Scott, the six fellows for June 22 – 26 were presented the key to the city by Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce President & CEO, Lindsay Madison. (Six more Fellows will arrive on June 29th.)
Upon presenting the keys, Madison remarked, “The City of Fort Scott is proud to welcome the 2026 Lowell Milken Center Fellows and present them with keys to the city. It is inspiring to see outstanding educators from across the country come to Fort Scott to deepen their commitment to teaching and learning. As they return to their schools and communities, they will carry forward the mission of the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes, ensuring that the stories of individuals whose contributions have too often gone unrecognized continue to be shared. Recognizing those who have made a meaningful difference is important work, and through these powerful stories, future generations are inspired to make a positive impact in the world.”
The Fellows honored this week were Collin Binko from Wyoming, Katie Botello from California, Heather Hurt from Alabama, James Lawlor from New York, Johnna Stoffregen from Kansas, and Magali Turner from New Mexico. LMC Director Norm Conard praised these outstanding individuals, saying, “We are so honored to be able to network and collaborate with these exemplary educators and provide them with an opportunity to reflect, reenergize and strategize with each other as they seek to find new ways to inspire their students.”
Every summer, the Lowell Milken Center for Unsung Heroes awards its Fellowship to national and international award-winning educators from America and around the world. As LMC Fellows, they deepen their understanding of Unsung Heroes and project-based learning, preparing them to develop Unsung Heroes projects with their students and learn the stories of role models who help change the world. Along with the time spent deepening their professional skills at the LMC, the Fellows have enjoyed visiting the Fort Scott area.
HUDSON, JOSEPH F, 43
Arrested: 6/24/2026 3:40 AM
Agency: Fort Scott PD
Charges:
– Possess Opiates/Opium/Narc Drug and Certain Stim ($2,000 cash/surety)
– Use/Poss Drug Paraphernalia/Human Body
Bond Total: $2,000
BRASHEAR, JULIE IRENE, 62
Arrested: 6/24/2026 3:40 AM
Agency: Fort Scott PD
Charges:
– Possess Opiates/Opium/Narc Drug and Certain Stim ($2,000 cash/surety)
– Use/Poss Drug Paraphernalia/Human Body
Bond Total: $2,000
HAYNES, RAYA L, 18
Arrested: 6/24/2026 8:12 PM
Agency: Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office
Charge: Warrant – Out of State *
Bond: $0
STINNETT, JACOB ALLEN, 22
Arrested: 6/24/2026 10:23 PM
Agency: Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office
Charges:
– DUI; 1st Conviction
– Failure to Give Information on Accident
– Reckless Driving
– Transporting an Open Container
Bond: $0
STEWART, REBECCA ANN, 33
Booked: 05/21/2026
Released: 6/24/2026 at 3:32 PM
Type: Transferred out
Released to: Allen County
Source: Arrest Summary PDF | Inmate Released List PDF
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.
