Jake Stevenson is the new owner of Rogers RWB Body Shop.
Jake Stevenson has purchased the Rogers Body Shop that closed in April this year and renamed it Rogers RBW.
“When I heard Larry Rogers was going to retire, I was interested,” Stevenson said.
For three generations, the Stevensons have been in the vehicle body repair industry and have operated a body repair shop in Richmond, KS, for 42 years. Richmond is north of Garnett.
They will still operate the Richmond Body Works in Richmond and operate the Rogers RBW, Stevenson said. He will be bringing three employees from that facility to Fort Scott to work, and in addition, is interviewing for more.
He is retaining the Rogers name as part of the new business venture, and Larry Rogers was helping him with finishing details on the facility on September 17.
The Rogers Body Shop sign remains and in fact, is part of the business venture name Rogers RWB.
Stevenson purchased the shop from Rogers on August 15 and has been updating the building and equipment since then.
The services they offer the community are paint and body repair, mostly with insurance claims, but they will also do private pay.
On Monday, September 22, Stevenson will open the office of the business and start bringing cars in, he said.
A Chamber of Commerce Coffee is scheduled for October 9.
The shop is located at 120 W. 19th, and the phone number is 620.223.0380.
New citizens use the program flyers of the naturalization ceremony for protection from the sun.The future citizens wait for the ceremony to begin, which will officially conclude their journey to become American citizens.
Ninety-six people from 44 countries became new American citizens today at Fort Scott National Historic Site in a U.S. District Court of Kansas Naturalization proceeding.
Jill Jaworski, Superintendent of the Fort Scott National Historic Site, welcomes the citizens, their families, and the community to the ceremony.
The humidity of this beautiful September day made the ceremony a little stifling.
The Fort Scott High School Orchestra prepares for its performance at the ceremony at Fort Scott National Historic Site for new American citizens.
The citizens were welcomed by local, state, and federal officials, listened to the Fort Scott High School Orchestra students play patriotic songs, were introduced by their county of origin, pledged an oath of allegiance to their new country, and took numerous photos of the event.
Representatives of the Kansas Secretary of State were on hand so the new citizens could register to vote, following the ceremony.
New citizens could register to vote at the Fort following the ceremony.A new citizen from the country of Belize stands during the recognition of countries in the ceremony.
The weekend of Sept. 26-27, the Care to Share Fortfest25 will be at Riverfront Park on North National Avenue in Fort Scott.
The event is free, but donations are accepted for Care to Share, a local helping organization for cancer survivors and their families.
“The kids’ fair will be bigger than ever with bouncy houses and more games,” said an organizer, Cory Bryers. “It’s all new bands with the same format as previous years. New this year is that the bike show and car show are the same day, Saturday, Sept. 27.”
A transplant from the Kansas City area, Bryers started this event in September 2022 on his property. Blues Festival Coming to Fort Scott Sept. 24. He and his wife, Cecelia, are Blues Music fans and moved to the area in 2021.
Cory and wife Cecelia Bryers. Submitted photo.
Friday evening, there will be performances starting at 6 p.m. by Bridget and Her Bandoliers from the K.C. area, followed by The Spooklights from Southwest Missouri.
On Saturday, there will be performances starting at 1 p.m.by Meaza Joy from Washington, MO; Martin and the Dead Guys from Florida and Independence, KS; Amanda Fish, Nashville; and Randy McAllister, Texas.
Saturday morning will be a car show, followed by a bike show. Saturday afternoon will be the kids’ fair, arts and crafts fair, food and drink, and of course, Blues Music.
Riverside Park is located by the Marmaton River and has lots of shade trees, so bring your family and friends, along with chairs/blankets/bug spray, AND a donation to Care to Share. Small coolers are welcome.
Care to Share is a well-known and respected organization that helps local cancer survivors and their families with needs they may have in their battle with the disease.
Blues singers entertain during the Fort Fest 23 event.
The Sept. 13 Concert listed on this flyer is cancelled due to the illness of the performers.
Fall Music at Common Ground Coffee Shop, 12 E. Wall, is back.
“Bring a friend, grab your favorite latte, and enjoy the sound of fall at Common Ground,” said shop owner Stacy Racy. “We decided a couple of months ago to bring back the Fall Concert Series. We’ve done it in the past and it’s been well received, so we’re excited to do it again.”
Stacy and Wayne Racy, owners of the Common Ground Coffee Shop. Submitted photo.
“Join us this fall for evenings filled with live music, cozy drinks, and community vibes,” she said.
The live music shows are from 6 to 8 p.m. on Saturday evenings, and all ages are welcome.
The large group private area at Common Ground, from its Facebook page.
Upcoming Shows: The September 13 – Jesse Jack & The Electric String Band was cancelled due to illness. September 27 – Vinyl Revival October 11-Jerico Jones
October 25- Serenade
“We’ll have drinks, cookies, and food available for people to enjoy while they listen,’ she said. “We have some amazing local and regional musicians we love listening to, and we thought this would be a great way to give the community something to do on Saturday evenings through the fall.”
Music lovers might want to try some of the new menu items offered by the coffee shop staff as they listen to the music in the large stage area in a room adjacent to the public seating area.
“Our new menu items are going really well – that’s the biggest new thing right now, and we’re excited about the community response.”
One of the new menu items: pannini. From the shop’s Facebook page.
For the live music nights, they will have their flatbreads, paninis, and chicken salad sandwiches along with cookies and drinks available for purchase, she said.
Scott and Ashley Shelton, with their children. Submitted photo.
TOAS, LLC is a new family-owned local business that provides custom laser-engraved items with the customer’s design.
“Toas is the first initial of the names in our family,” said Scott Shelton, co-owner with his wife, Ashley, of the business.
“We provide a wide array of products,” he said. “From hats, cups, keychains, insulated can sleeves, pet collars, bottle openers, fridge magnets, wood products, signs, and more. We also make stained glass items.”
They have the industrial laser machine at their rural residence and share duties when they are not working their full-time jobs.
A customized dog collar from its Facebook page.
“We offer products for the folks of Bourbon County and beyond to promote their business, support their teams, or anything they would like to express.”
From its Facebook page.
” I started the business as an additional revenue stream and income for when I retire from the fire department in a few years,” he said.
BOURBON COUNTY,
KANSAS
Bourbon County Commission Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Chambers, 210 S National Ave.
September 08, 2025, 5:30 PM
I. Call Meeting to Order
• Roll Call
• Pledge of Allegiance
• Prayer
II. Discussion of meeting limits-Beerbower
III. Approval of Agenda
IV. Approval of Minutes 08/25/25 & 08/29/25
V. Consent Agenda
• Approval of 09.05.25Accounts Payable Totaling $308,641.44
• Approval of 09.05.25 Payroll Totaling $326,473.16
VI. Lora Holdridge-Budget Question
VII. Executive Session: Pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected
personnel to protect their privacy. Tran
VIII. Public Comments for Items Not on The Agenda
IX. Old Business
• Mapleton Road – Beerbower
• Phone System -Beerbower
• Software program – Beerbower
• Stronghold
• FSACF Grant – Beerbower
• Security Camera’s – Beerbower
• Craw-Kan
• Elm Creek Quarry
• Freeman Agreement
X. New Business
• North Crawford St. – Beerbower
• Eagle Road – Beerbower
• 95th Street South of Unique – ROD & Security 1st
• Opioid Settlement
• Planning Commission Selection Process
• Agenda-Clerk
XI. Commission Comments
XII. Adjournment _____________
EXECUTIVE SESSIONS – FORM OF MOTION
____ Pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected personnel to protect their privacy
____ Pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(2) for consultation with an attorney for the public body of agency which would be deemed
privileged in the attorney-client relationship
____ Pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(3) to discuss matters relating to employer/employee negotiations whether or not in
consultation with the representatives of the body or agency
____ Pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(4) to discuss data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations,
partnerships, trust, and individual proprietorships
____ Pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(6) for the preliminary discussion of acquisition of real estate
____ Pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(12) to discuss matters relating to security measures, if the discussion of such matters at
an open meeting would jeopardize such security measures
The subject to be discussed during executive session: ________________________________________
State persons to attend
Open session will resume at _____ A.M./P.M. in the commission chambers.
The reception area of the Freeman Fort Scott Hospital.
At the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce Coffee this morning, Fort Scott Freeman Hospital Board members Lindsay Madison and Don Doherty announced they had received notice that the hospital and emergency department, long-awaited by the community, is open today. The hospital is located at 401 Woodland Hills, the former Mercy Hospital building.
More information will be provided as it becomes available from Freeman Hospital staff.
The 120th Old Settlers’ Picnic festivities in Uniontown culminated with the parade on September 1.
Rain threatened, but did not happen for this annual picnic, which was much appreciated by participants.
Vendors lined the sidewalk in the town’s square, and children and their loved ones lined the streets waiting for the anticipated candy that is traditionally thrown to viewers of the parade.
The theme this year was Remembering the Past-Planning the Future.
The parade grand marshals were the Bill and Doris George family, with four generations on the haywagon, representing the legacy of this local farm family.
Other activities from August 29 to September 1 included a street dance, a 5K run/walk, a kids’ fishing derby, rodeos, a community church service, a car show, a baby contest, and numerous games and prizes, along with the annual recognitions.
The Bethel Community Church group before the parade.Hayden Stevens was representing the theatre group at Fort Scott Community College.Uniontown High School Football players and coaches.Students representing Fort Scott Community College’s Pleasanton Campus. Submitted by Taylor Bailey.The Uniontown High School Class of 2029 poses for a photo before the parade.Parents registering their children for the children’s parade.Vendors line the sidewalk in the town’s square.The Bill and Doris George family pose before the Old Settlers’ Picnic parade starts.The Uniontown Marching Band.Uniontown High School Class of 1965 waits in the staging area of the parade line-up.Students and staff representing Fort Scott Community College in the Old Settlers’ Picnic parade on Sept. 1 in Uniontown. Submitted by Taylor Bailey.Uniontown High School Class of 1975, before the parade.Uniontown Class of 2028 in the Old Settler’s Picnic Parade.Uniontown Youth Football team, prior to the parade.
Freeman Fort Scott Hospital’s main entrance. The hospital shares a building with several other entities.
Almost everything is in place, people hired and just a few items left to open Freeman Fort Scott Hospital and Emergency Department, at the former Mercy Hospital.
The building is owned by Kansas Renewal Institute, with Freeman and other entities leasing from them.
On August 22, local officials, community leaders, along with Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce members were invited to hear from Freeman Fort Scott Hospital leaders and take a guided tour of the newly repurposed facility at 401 Woodland Hills Boulevard to view the progress.
Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lindsay Madison welcomed the Freeman staff and expressed the community’s gratitude for Freeman Hospital coming to our community.
Anita Walden, Freeman Fort Scott Hospital Chief Administrative Officer, told the attendees that the process “has been a collaborative effort with a lot of people…there are still a few minor things that need to happen.”
The community will play a vital role in supporting access to quality healthcare here by using the emergency department and the hospital for their healthcare needs, she said.
To open, three government surveys need to take place and one has taken place, on August 18.
This brings the six-bed emergency department and 10-bed acute care closer to fruition.
The multi-million-dollar project is still on track to open at the end of 2025, Freeman officials said in the press release.
The signage on Hwy. 69, just east of the Freeman Fort Scott Hospital and Emergency Department location.
The Emergency Department
The Freeman Fort Scott Emergency Department is located on the south side of the building.
Dr. Mark Brown, the Freeman Fort Scott Hospital Emergency Department’s Director, is from the Coffeyville area. He will also serve as the medical staff president.
Freeman Fort Scott Emergency Department check-in area.
There are six beds in the emergency department, and it will have a physician 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Dr. Mark Brown is the new Freeman Fort Scott Hospital Emergency Department Medical Director.
Freeman has leased Suite A in the clinic area of the building, and Gregory King, a Family Nurse Practitioner at Freeman Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine, will be housed there as soon as possible, said Anita Waldren in a group tour of the facility.
Brown told the tour group the hospital will have two nurses and one technician at all times, serving the 10-bed hospital. There will be eight semi-private and two private rooms on the medical floor.
Covering medical services at Freeman Fort Scott Hospital will be local doctors, Dr. Katrina Burke, Dr. Richard Kellenberger, and Dr. P.K. Gugnani, Walden said during the tour.
Nurses on duty during the group tour were from left: Kristen Stahl, Nicole Edds and Juanita Young.
The outpatient services check-in office is located near the emergency department.
The outpatient services waiting area is adjacent to the emergency department.
Brief History of the Community’s Health Care
Located on the city’s southside and adjacent to Hwy. 69, the facility has housed no hospital since the closing of Mercy Hospital Fort Scott in December 2018.
Mercy Hospital served the community from 1886 until 2018, and closed, citing “patients leaving the area to seek health care services in larger communities and declining reimbursement, especially from government payers, which make up the largest source of revenue,” according to Mercy’s announcement in 2018.
Ascension Via Christi provided an emergency department at the facility from 2019 until 2023. Their decision to close operations was “was made after a thorough analysis of trend data, patient census, and the current and future challenges and opportunities facing this facility,” according to AVC’s announcement in 2023.
Kansas Renewal Institute owns the building and leases space to the other entities. It is located on the main floor.Southeast Kansas Mental Health offices are located on the main floor.The Ashley Clinic is in Suite B of the building’s clinic area.I Am Rehab and Fitness is located on the ground level.Diamonds in the Rough Beauty Salon is located on the ground level.
TFI, Foster Care and Child Welfare Services office is located on the ground level of the building as well.
The transmission line of the Wolf Creek/Blackberry Project, from the NextEra Energy website.
A power delivery project, many years in the making, has started transmitting energy through Bourbon County.
NextEra Energy Transmission (NEET) – Southwest began producing energy over the 92-mile, 345-kV Wolf Creek – Blackberry transmission line on July 16, 2025, according to Lillie Zeng, spokesperson for NEET-Southwest.
The project was within budget and nearly five months ahead of Southwest Power Pool’s (SSP) required in-service date. The project was completed within three years, according to the spokesperson.
This is the second of three competitively awarded transmission projects in SPP that the company is building, she said.
“NextEra Energy Transmission – Southwest is proud to support SPP and its customers in Kansas and Missouri with a transmission line that will help enhance grid reliability and support economic growth in the region.”
The NEET-Southwest field office is at 2522 Richards Road, Fort Scott, KS 66701.
“We are in the process of hiring local office staff. In addition, NEET Southwest has access to approximately 70 affiliate technical staff located in the project area,” according to the spokesperson.
The project included a diagonal power line through the southwest part of Bourbon County as noted in the graphic from NextEra.
The process can be summed up this way:
Electric power is generated by nuclear energy at the Wolf Creek Nuclear Plant near Burlington, Kansas in Coffee County.
The power is moved via transmission power lines to the southwest, to the Blackberry Electrical Substation, just over the state line in Missouri.
Electric power transmission lines along with wind turbines can be seen from Hwy. 3. in Bourbon County, near Birch Road, north of Hepler, KS. These are NextEra Energy Transmission lines.
This project is a new 94-mile, 345-kilovolt (kV) regulated transmission line that runs from the Wolf Creek substation (Evergy Energy) in Kansas to the Blackberry substation, Associated Electric Cooperative Inc.(AECI) in Missouri.
The Blackberry Electric Substation, Jasper County, MO. August 2025
The Wolf Creek site is about 10,500 acres, and 1,500 acres of company land are reserved and managed for wildlife. Wolf Creek employs approximately 750 employees, many of whom have worked at the site since the plant began providing electricity to the nation’s power grid more than three decades ago, according to the Evergy website.
Wolf Creek provides electric generation for Evergy and generates about 1,200 megawatts of electricity, which is enough energy to power more than 800,000 homes, according to the Evergy website.
Wolf Creek generates 20.7 percent of Kansas’ electricity, and 36 percent of its emissions-free electricity, according to the NextEra website.
Evergy is an electric service provider in Bourbon County.
“Evergy and Next Era are both members of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), which helps manage the power grid and energy markets across 14 states in the middle of the country, including Kansas and Missouri,” said Evergy Director of Corporate Communications Gina Penzig. “SPP keeps track of how electricity moves through the system and helps ensure coordination among area utilities.”
“The Wolf Creek–Blackberry Transmission line simply connects to Evergy’s equipment and helps send electricity into the power grid,” Penzig said. “The SPP chose Next Era to build this line through a competitive bid process. Even though the line connects to Evergy’s substation and electricity flows through it, Next Era owns and operates the line.”
NextEra Energy
In October 2021, NextEra Energy Transmission (NEET) Southwest was awarded the construction of a new approximately 92-mile 345 kV transmission line from the Wolf Creek substation to the Blackberry substation in Jasper County, Missouri.
Electric power transmission lines in southwest Bourbon County.
The project is part of the 2019 Integrated Transmission Plan approved by SPP in October 2019 to address the need for a more reliable and cost-effective grid. This project will reduce congestion and provide market efficiencies and benefits to ratepayers, according to the NextEra website.
According to NextEra, the project benefits are:
“Leads to lower electricity costs for customers
Enhances the reliability and resiliency of the electric grid
Creates job opportunities in the short and long term
Spurs investment in the local economy during construction
Supports public health and safety through access to reliable electricity
“Environmental & Visual Considerations
Conducted rigorous environmental analyses to limit impacts on wildlife, sensitive habitats, and natural resources
Coordinated with federal and state agencies to identify protected species found along the route
Selected monopole structures to minimize tree clearing and agricultural impacts
Incorporated considerations for visual impacts into the routing study.”
The Mapleton Cafe, located in rural northern Bourbon County, is under a new manager.
“This cafe had been shut down for eight years,” Adam Clay, the new owner/manager,” said. “Joe Bisogno owns the building.”
It opened at the end of July.
“I was given an opportunity to open my own business in the country, where I want to be,” Clay said. “I have always been drawn to the country. I lived in DeSoto. Panasonic moved into the area, and lots of people have moved in.”
“You need to seize an opportunity.”
He moved a fifth-wheel recreation vehicle to the site of the building in Mapleton, population 99, in January and started renovating the building.
“I had to fix it up. I moved here, living in the fifth-wheeler.”
Clay has 35 years in the hospitality business with a focus on kitchen, menu, costing, and trends in the food business.
“I come from the K.C. area, Desoto, and worked as a chef for a corporation in their test kitchen. I left my position with Goodsents in K.C. at the end of June to do this full-time. Up to then, I only worked on weekends.”
The restaurant passed the Kansas Department of Agriculture inspection in mid-July.
“Even though a lot of work needs to be done, with the help of the Mapleton City Council, the local residents, and Joe Bisogno, we’ll make it successful,” he said.
“I’m the only cook; there are two local people as employees, Shawn Mierkey and Zoe Charley, and other local people pitch in to help.”
Adam Clay, right, is the manager of the Mapleton Cafe. Pictured are his two employees, Shawn Mierkey and Zoe Charley.
About the cafe
“It’s a country cafe with a modest breakfast and lunch menu,” he said. “It’s a starter menu. I’m still trying to figure out what works in this marketplace.”
“We are open to suggestions. A new dish for me is chili with a cinnamon roll and a pickle,” he said.
He said he is trying to keep the prices that fit this rural area.
The menu at the Mapleton Cafe as of August 2025.
The restaurant is located at 423 N. Bourbon Street in Mapleton. Contact info: 785-813-6051. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
