Category Archives: Bourbon County

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Agenda Dec. 15

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Agenda

Bourbon County Commission Room

1st Floor, County Courthouse

210 S. National Avenue

Fort Scott, KS 66701

Tuesdays starting at 9:00

Date: December 15, 2020

1st District-Lynne Oharah Minutes: Approved: _______________

2nd District-Jeff Fischer Corrected: _______________

3rd District-Clifton Beth Adjourned at: _______________

County Clerk-Kendell Mason

 

MEETING WILL BE HELD IN COMMISSION ROOM. ANYONE ATTENDING THE MEETING WILL BE REQUIRED TO WEAR A MASK PROVIDED BY THE COUNTY. MUST MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING.

 

9:00 – 9:15 Eric Bailey, Road & Bridge

9:15 – 9:30 Lynne Oharah, Bond Refinance

9:45 – 10:00 Vacation Time Carryover

10:00 – 10:15 Lora Holdridge, Longevity Pay

10:15 – 10:30 Clifton Beth, Executive Session, Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel

10:30 – 10:45 Eric Bailey, Executive Session, Personnel matters of individual non-elected

personnel

11:00 – 12:00 Jody Hoener, Executive Session, Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships

 

Justifications for Executive Session:

          Personnel matters of individual non-elected personnel

          Consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship

          Matters relating to employer-employee negotiations whether or not in consultation with the representative(s) of the body or agency

          Confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships

          Preliminary discussions relating to the acquisition of real property

          Matters relating to the security of a public body or agency, public building or facility or the information system of a public body or agency, if the discussion of such matters at an open meeting would jeopardize the security of such public body, agency, building, facility or information system

Bourbon County, Business

BEDCO: Consolidating Services In The County

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Gregg Motley. Submitted photo.

A local non-profit group was reorganized this fall and is seeking ways to consolidate public services in the county to save money.

The Bourbon County Economic Development Council, BEDCO, has been around for 28 years. But recently the 501c-3 non-profit organization has been “reconstituted”, according to Gregg Motley, president of the group.

Incorporated towns in the county, and entities such as school districts were asked to provide a representative to the council.

They had their first meeting as a new council on Oct. 22.

“At that first meeting, several communities hadn’t finalized their choice of representation,” Motley said.

They met again in November, then last week.

Motley was chosen as the president of BEDCO on Dec. 3. At that time Jim Fewins was selected as vice president and Mary Pemberton as treasurer.

“No one as yet has taken the secretary position, I am doing double duty,” Motley said.

Following the Dec. 3 meeting, “Assignments were given,” Motley said. “We won’t meet again until January. There is a lot of work behind the scenes in those assignments to be completed.”

 

BEDCO in the past

 

Representing the Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, Motley was a member of the group before it was “reconstituted”, along with current members Fort Scott City Commissioner Randy Nichols and Bourbon County Commissioner Lynn Oharah.

 

“The focus had narrowed,” Motley said. “We wanted broader representation and focus in the county.  They had become focused on the industrial park in Fort Scott.”

 

BEDCO in the future

 

A committee was formed earlier in the year, led by Mark McCoy.

 

“What was left of BEDCO considered consolidating services in the county and they formed a committee to look into it,” Motley said.

 

“We discovered a lot of distrust between the rural and city populations,” Motley said. “Our conclusion was it’s not possible to look at consolidating government, but could look at consolidating services.”

 

“We talked to people around the county who observed there was a duplication of economic development directors,” he said. “The City of Fort Scott and Bourbon County Commission both had economic directors. Our committee suggested we start there, to serve all the county.”

 

Consolidation of the economic development directors would include sharing of costs and reducing overall investment, he said.

 

“More effort, less money,” Motley said.

 

“Economic development would be consolidated into one position and employed by BEDCO,” he said. “We would hire that person and there would be an office. We are going to take our time. We are close to having a job description and a human resource routine for that position.”

 

Not all on board

 

The Bourbon County Commissioners agreed to buy-in on the idea by appropriating money to a future position and eliminating their economic director’s position when that happens, Motley said.

 

“The City of Fort Scott has not taken up the issue,” Motley said. “It did not appear they had any interest in giving up their economic director position. My hope is they will get behind this effort.”

 

 

Following is a list of the current BEDCO members:

Lynne Oharah, Randy Nichols, Jess Ervin,  Mike Blevins,  Michael Stewart,  Mary Pemberton, Misty Adams,  Ted Hessong,  Bret Howard, Jim Fewins,  Gregg Motley, Mark McCoy,  and Heather Davis.

Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Commission Minutes of Dec. 1

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December 1, 2020                                           Tuesday 9:00 am

 

The Bourbon County Commission met in open session with all three Commissioners, the County Counselor and the County Clerk present.

 

Also present were the following, (some were present for a portion of the meeting, some were present for the entire meeting) Jason Silvers with the Fort Scott Tribune,

Clint and Rachel Walker, Jessie Walker, Anne Dare, Mark McCoy and Dale Arnold.

 

Eric Bailey met with the Commissioners; the Commissioners told Eric Bailey to contact KCAMP regarding applying for the $2,000 grant to be used for the repair of a tarp used on the hauling trucks.

 

Eric Bailey said there are 17 bridges due for inspection; he said Schwab Eaton will provide a proposal for the inspections.  He said he would talk to them about the needed repairs for a bridge North on 69 Highway.

 

Eric said he has asked a contractor to give a quote on repairs for a guardrail south of Soldier Road on the old highway that was damaged in a hit and run accident.

 

Jeff Fischer said he would provide Eric Bailey contact information for the Federal Fund Exchange Program so that he can apply for grant money for the blasting work that was done at the Shepherds Quarry.

 

Eric reported that there may be a landowner contact the Commissioners regarding a road that has been closed at 45th & Unique; he said they may be coming to re-open the road since their property is landlocked.

 

Eric said that Phoenix Coal Company has petitioned to close out their mining operation; he said Phoenix Coal had 4-6”of gravel placed on the road in the area, Eric said it appears there are ditches in the area and said that portion of the road is better than the portion going south of there, he felt the road met or exceeded the requirements; Justin Meeks said he had reviewed the release for Phoenix Coal Company.  Jeff made a motion to sign the release for Phoenix Coal Company (regarding an area on 260th) and said they had met the contractual requirement, Clifton seconded the motion and all approved and Lynne signed the release.

 

Eric reported that the exhaust manifold had cracked on a dozer; he said he is trying to find someone to weld this; he thanked the City of Fort Scott public works department for diagnosing what the problem was.

 

Eric reported they had cross trained an employee from the quarry to do grader work.  Jeff suggested using the gravel road maintenance manual as a reference for the road grader operators.

 

Eric said the beavers had built dams in the culverts at Range and 235th; he said the City of Fort Scott helped blow open the culvert pipes.  Jeff described a process that could be used to remove blockages in the culverts; Lynne said a lot of the culverts are blocked due to a lack of ditches.

 

Jeff made a motion to go into a 7 minute executive session for consultation with an attorney for the body or agency which would be deemed privileged in the attorney-client relationship, the session will be located in the old I/T office and the Commissioners will convene back in the Commission room when the session is over, Clifton seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners, Eric Bailey and Justin Meeks).  Jeff made a motion to go back into session, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

Lynne reported that the road is a mess (due to clay in the road) on 95th south of Soldier Road; Eric Bailey said due to the way the fiber optic was installed in the road, this will be an ongoing issue.  Jeff suggested re-visiting the right-of-way policy and to have a bond in place prior to someone doing work on a County road; Eric said we already have this requirement, but said we will need to hold the companies accountable for this.

 

Eric said they have a grader broken down.

 

Monica Murnan (by phone) met with the Commissioners regarding the Spark grant funds.  Lynne said there will be $11,815 leftover funds that will need to be allocated, he said it was suggested to use these funds for contact tracing, Jeff said USD234 requested a contact tracer and said two people had been hired to do contact tracing.  Jeff said Tri-Valley had requested $5,900 in Spark funds, it was stated that the County I/T could use the funds for a broadband project.  Monica said she was hesitant to bring in an entity that didn’t go through the original application process, (she said Tri-Valley did not go through the original application or MOU process), she said the original process was very transparent.  Monica said the Health Department’s request is a direct COVID expense, Rebecca Johnson from the Health Department said they could also use funds for the COVID vaccination process.  Jeff made a motion that the $11,815.57 be assigned to the SEK Multi County Health Department for the purpose of contract tracing (both payroll and supplies needed for contact tracing) due to COVID, Clifton seconded and all approved.  Monica said there is still approximately $40,000 remaining of the appropriated money to Greenbush for administrative fees; she felt they should let William Wallis use this money to purchase COVID PPE supplies.  Clifton made a motion that the remainder of the administrative funds be directed towards William Wallis for PPE, Jeff seconded and all approved.  Monica said they are still trying to gather approximately $1 million worth of receipts from Spark grant recipients’.

 

Jessie Walker met with the Commissioners regarding Unique Road west of 95th; he said he met with the Commissioners a few years ago where they discussed if it was an open or closed road.  He said a few years ago the County bladed the road and provided the Commissioners with a case from the Supreme Court where there was a ruling that if a road had been maintained by a County then it would be required to be an open road, but said that didn’t mean they would have to keep the road maintained.  Mr. Walker asked that the road be graded or maintained a few times each year.  Justin Meeks said they started this process two years ago and said in 1986 the County re-did their maps, he said they have a lot of roads that they were unsure of if they were vacated or not.  Justin said in 1986, there were public hearings held about roads that were opened or closed.  Justin said they are looking for a Resolution from 1986 and said then the Commissioners can decide whether or not to maintain the roads.  Mr. Walker said he had a load of gravel put on this road and asked what his liability was for doing this.  Justin said there is a process to petition to have a closed road opened.

 

The Commissioners discussed the OMNI lockbox option; Justin said adding a new endeavor would create a new universal position and that position could do the work regarding a new building, accounts receivable and budgets, HR director functions, business management, medical mall; Jeff said OMNI had been contracted to do the EMS billing, but said the universal position could possibly do the billing.  Lynne made a motion that he be allowed to work with Justin Meeks to come up with a comprehensive list of items for this job description, Jeff seconded and all approved.  The Commissioners recently hired a 1099 person to do the EMS receivables.  Lynne said they could identify different areas where they could save money by hiring a universal employee.

 

The Commissioners discussed the holiday gift cards for County employees; Jeff said he had received feedback that employees were in favor of supporting local businesses, Lora Holdridge said getting Chamber Bucks helps local businesses and helps the Chamber.  Jeff made a motion to select Chamber Bucks for the holiday gift cards, and that each employee (non-elected, elected, part-time and full-time, with the exception of the Commissioners) receive $25 worth of Chamber Bucks, Clifton seconded and all approved.

 

The Commissioners discussed the proposed longevity pay; Jeff said the County currently has longevity pay plan, he said some employees have worked for the County more than one time, he suggested taking the prior service time and combining it with current service to come up with the total years of service.  Jeff suggested doing $100/year for year 5 and on.  $51,000 has been budgeted for 2020 for the one-time longevity pay.  Jeff said this is a one-time payout, but said if the County could afford it in future years it could be paid out with each paycheck.  Bobby Reed questioned if the employees would still receive their current longevity pay; the Commissioner said yes, Bobby asked if department heads came to the Commissioners with future budget requests asking for a wage increase for employees if they would be told they were given longevity pay instead of a raise; Lynne said the discussion of the longevity pay instead of a wage increase was never discussed.  Jeff made a motion to do a one-time longevity payout, in addition to the current longevity pay, of $100/year of service beginning at year 5 with the effective date of 12/31/2020, excluding elected officials, (5 years of service as of 12/31/2020 = a one-time $500 longevity payout) to be paid by 12/31/2020 on a separate check and to include prior years of service, Clifton seconded, it was stated that an elected official doesn’t qualify, but if in the future they came back to work for the County as a non-elected employee, they would have elected and non-elected years of service combined, all approved the motion.

 

Clifton made a motion to go into a 20 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, and reconvene in the Commission room, Jeff seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks).  No action was taken.

 

Clifton made a motion to go into a 24 minute executive session for confidential data relating to financial affairs or trade secrets of corporations, partnerships, trusts and individual proprietorships, and reconvene in the Commission room, Lynne seconded and all approved, (the session included the Commissioners and Justin Meeks).  Clifton made a motion to go back into session, Jeff seconded and all approved.

 

Lynne made a motion to amend the agenda to discuss department head salaries, Clifton seconded and all approved.  Lynne said the 2021budget included raises for two employees in the Correctional Center and for the I/T department, he said they needed to do a salary resolution for the increases.  Lynne made a motion to give the two employees in the Correctional Center (major and captain positions) a 10% increase and to give the I/T person a $10,000 raise in 2021, Clifton seconded and all approved.  Lynne said these positions weren’t given a raise last time and said they had given the I/T person a lot more responsibility and said they expect that job function to increase.

 

At 12:16, Clifton made a motion to adjourn, Jeff seconded and all approved.

 

THE BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS

OF BOURBON COUNTY, KANSAS

(ss) Lynne Oharah, Chairman

(ss) Jeff Fischer, Commissioner

(ss) Clifton Beth, Commissioner

ATTEST:

Kendell Mason, Bourbon County Clerk

December 8, 2020, Approved Date

Bourbon County, K-State Extension

Carrying on Traditions Through Holiday Foods

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Barbara Stockebrand. K-State Extension Agent. Submitted photo.

Barbara Stockebrand

Southwind Extension District –Yates Center

Family and Consumer Sciences

Carrying on Traditions Through Holiday Foods

Knowing this Christmas season may look a lot different from Christmas past, we may be struggling to find ways to carry on some of our traditions. Previously, I had written about simplifying our holiday festivities this year, and that may involve starting some new traditions.

Traditions help to explain our family stories. They give meaning to our family culture and explain where we came from. Those stories need to be passed on.

Our sense of smell can often bring back memories in a matter of seconds. What better way to activate our sense of smell, and recall some of those memories and stories, than with food?

Specific foods are closely tied with family traditions. Those foods, of course, will be different for each of our families. I mentioned last week that some of those favorite foods might be able to be sent through the mail to family members to help maintain some traditions this Christmas.

Keep food safety in mind when shipping homemade food gifts through the mail. Why is this an issue? Foodborne pathogens grow faster between 40°F and 140°F, potentially doubling every 20 minutes, in what is often referred to as the temperature danger zone.

Food products requiring refrigeration should be frozen solid and packed with a cold source prior to shipping. Double-check the shipping method is adequate for your gift to arrive timely, ideally overnight. Make sure the recipient knows a perishable item is coming their way, so it can go straight to the refrigerator. It’s important to take the extra precautions to ensure recipients of your food package feel the love and not the effects of food poisoning when they receive their gift.

Sending only non-perishable foods through the mail is a good set of rules to follow. Non-refrigerated foods stay fresher longer and are safe at room temperature. Some examples of non-perishable foods include: Dried meats, dense and dry baked goods such as fruitcakes and biscotti. Chocolates, hard candies and homemade sweets, such as pralines and toffee, are safe to send either cold or at room temperature.

Cookies and crackers are safe to mail, but should be shipped in airtight packaging. Non-perishable ingredients that are already measured can be sent for specific food products. Food items such as cookies, hot teas or drink mixes, favorite dip mixes, and snacks, like trail mix, can easily be shipped through the mail. Don’t forget to include the recipe!

While you don’t need to worry about the temperature of non-refrigerated foods, you should protect the original packaging. Sturdy packaging helps keep it undamaged for the bumpy ride ahead.

If you would like to add a new twist to your holiday traditions involving food, choose one or two favorite family recipes that everyone can make. Set a time when you can meet by Zoom or some other virtual option, have the food prepared ahead of time, and let everyone enjoy that favorite dish or snack while on the virtual meeting. Conversation always goes better with food!

A virtual process of sharing foods from different locations reminds me of the progressive dinner concept that is a lot of fun. In that process, participants all enjoy the same meal, but travel from house to house to consume a different part of the meal. We may not be able to physically travel to other homes this year, but technology gives us options to still ‘visit’ each other’s homes.

For more information on food products that ship well, contact the Southwind Extension Office in Yates Center at 620-625-8620. K-State Research and Extension is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

 

Bourbon County, Schools

UNIONTOWN HS 2020-21 BASKETBALL RESULTS GAME 2

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Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

Submitted by Adelay Martin, UHS Student Sports Reporter

The Eagles’ Varsity basketball teams traveled to Humboldt once again to face the Erie Red Devils. Both teams were defeated by Erie.

The Lady Eagles lost to Erie on Thursday 29-32. Sammie Hampton scored 10 points and had 9 rebounds and 2 steals. Gwenyth Fry had 1 assist and 8 rebounds, and Karleigh Schoenberger had 10 rebounds and 2 steals. Rylee Coulter, a freshman, had 4 rebounds and scored 4 points, one basket being a buzzer-beater that took us into a second overtime.

“As much as we hate losing, we really needed this experience tonight,” said Coach Miller. “Foul trouble, coupled with our usual top performers stumbling, required us to step outside of our comfort zone. This unfortunate outcome may have helped our team more than the sting of the loss will let us realize right now. Get bitter, or get BETTER. I know what these girls will choose.”

The boys’ Varsity team also lost to Erie 39-53. Jake Harvey scored 15 points and had 9 rebounds and 2 assists. Clay Sutterby scored 7 points and had 4 rebounds, and Luke Perry scored 6 points and had 5 rebounds. Drew Perry had 1 assist and 2 steals.

“I’m extremely proud of the guys on our team,” Coach Hays said. “We competed hard and left it all on the court. We defended and rebounded much better tonight. We need to continue to work on our chemistry on the offensive end, but that will come with time.”

Bourbon County, Entertainment

Prom for People with Special Needs

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Submitted by
Michelle Hudiburg and Clayton Whitson,
[email protected]

Fort Scott Nazarene to Host Night to Shine Prom for People with Special Needs

Sponsored by Tim Tebow Foundation

FORT SCOTT, KS, The Tim Tebow Foundation’s NIGHT TO SHINE, hosted in Fort Scott Kansas is holding a raffle to raise funds to help make this year’s Night to Shine unforgettable. It is a 50/50
raffle.

Proceeds from the ticket sales will go into a pot, 50% will go to Night to Shine and one winner will win the other 50%.

Last reports put that pot at over $400. You can purchase tickets in FORT SCOTT at Common

Ground Coffee or Five Corners anytime or Nazarene Church THIS Saturday from 10-1.

In NEVADA, you can purchase tickets at Verco / Davidson Shoes or Western Finance.

The winner will be drawn on DECEMBER 14th, 2020

.
We are still looking for Honored Guests, Volunteers, and Corporate sponsors. To register or for more information you can email: [email protected] or visit our Facebook page:
facebook.com/fsnighttoshine

Please like and share the Fort Scott Night to Shine Facebook page for the most up to date information.
********
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For 2021, due to the global circumstances of COVID-19, the Foundation has chosen to provide Night to Shine as a virtual event in 2021.

We feel that the best way to honor and love our guests is
to forego in-person proms in order to keep them as safe as possible. We are incredibly disappointed that we are not able to celebrate each amazing king and queen in person this year,
but we are committed to throwing one spectacular, safe, virtual celebration in their honor .

While this year’s event will be virtual, Fort Scott Nazarene and partners are anticipating hosting this event for years to come. This is just the beginning for Night to Shine in our community and
surrounding areas AND we are looking for sponsors to ensure a high-quality, high-impact evening for our honored guests. If you are interested in sponsoring, please visit our website or email
[email protected] .

An event of this magnitude requires an army of volunteers to make it successful. The Night to Shine Steering Team is actively seeking people to help make this celebration a reality. Register to
be a volunteer by using the provided link (you must be at least 16 years old to volunteer).

Volunteer Registration: https://forms.gle/7HFfz8KwqxcZ5RMt8

For additional information on the Night to Shine hosted by Fort Scott Nazarene, please visit our site or find us on Facebook. These will be the best sources of information as we approach Night to
Shine.

https://fsnighttoshine.wixsite.com/

https://www.facebook.com/FSNightToShine

For more information on the worldwide movement of Night to Shine, sponsored by the Tim Tebow Foundation, visit: http://www.timtebowfoundation.org/index.php/night-to-shine/

ABOUT TIM TEBOW FOUNDATION
The Tim Tebow Foundation exists to bring Faith, Hope and Love to those needing a brighter day in their darkest hour of need. This mission is being fulfilled every day through outreach in the fields of
Orphan Care + Prevention, Special Needs and Children with Profound Medical Needs. To learn more about how the Tim Tebow Foundation is serving children and sharing God’s love by fighting for those who can’t fight for themselves, visit www.timtebowfoundation.org .

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott

Local Optometrist Dr. Holloway Retires

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Dr. Randall Holloway taken from Facebook.
Randall R Holloway, 65, retired from his optometric practice after 38 years, on Sept. 12, 2020.
His office was located at 4 S. National, just in the back of the Boiler Room  Brewhaus.
Holloway’s first day on the job was July 22, 1982, he said.
Holloway sold his practice to Kannarr Eye Care and it’s now known by that name.
Paula Brewer and Lisa Peck, former employees of Holloway, now work for Kannarr Eye Care.
The phone number remains 223-0850.
Hours of the office are 8 a.m to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The office is closed from noon to 1 p.m. for lunch.
“Their main office is in Pittsburg Kansas,” Holloway said.  “The  doctors coming to the Fort Scott location are Dr. Shane Kannarr, Dr. Chris Jacquinot, and Dr. Katie Painter.”
“Some employees come from the Pittsburg office,” Lisa Peck said.
Since retiring in a pandemic, Holloway said he is trying to stay healthy.
“Currently, my time is taken up by golf, exercise, and trying to stay healthy,” he said.  “Next year we will be getting the Covid-19 vaccination as soon as possible, which will allow us to travel to Shoreline, Washington to visit our grandchildren.”
Bourbon County, Schools, Sports

UHS Basketball Results

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Adelay Martin. Submitted photo.

UNIONTOWN HS BASKETBALL 2020-21 RESULTS GAME 1

The 2020-21 Uniontown Eagles’ basketball season kicked off at Humboldt with the first game of the Humboldt Tournament. Both Varsity teams played the Humboldt Cubs.

The final score of the first tournament game was 55-38, Uniontown. Danielle Howard was 5/5 on free throws and scored a total of 29 points. She made four three-pointers and had 4 assists, 6 deflections, and 5 steals. Alie Fuhrman had 4 rebounds, and Sammie Hampton had 3 rebounds. Karleigh Schoenberger scored 18 points with 2 three-pointers and had 4 steals, as well as 2 assists.

“We are blessed to be able to get back on the court and compete,” said Coach Miller. “We are grateful for everyone that made this possible. Our first game was a little rough, but we know how to fix it and we will. Looking forward to getting back in the gym to get better.”

The boys’ game, which ended after one overtime, was lost 55-59. Jake Harvey scored 23 points and had 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Clay Sutterby scored 13 points and had 5 rebounds. Cade Goodridge had 6 rebounds and Drew Holt had 4.

Coach Hays said, “I thought the boys competed hard against Humboldt. They have a really good basketball program and are well-coached. It was nice to see our boys play hard and fight back to take them to overtime. We have some things we need to improve on. We need to rebound the ball better and hit our free throws. We also need to do a better job of attacking the rim when our shots aren’t falling. We will continue to work hard in practice and prepare for Erie.”

The tournament will resume on Thursday, December 10 at Humboldt, where both teams will play Erie. Friday’s game will also be at Humboldt, where the teams will face Crest.

-Adelay Martin, UHS Sports Media Reporter

Ascension Via Christi, Bourbon County, COVID-19, Health Care

Via Christi Receives SPARK Funds For COVID-19 Staff and Drugs

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Via Christi’s Emergency Department in Fort Scott.

Recently over 100  Bourbon County businesses, organizations, school districts, churches and other categories of entities received  SPARk Grants to help with COVID-19 expenses.

The see the whole list of recipients, click below:

https://fortscott.biz/news/spark-projects-in-bourbon-county

 

The Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) taskforce plan is to lead Kansas forward in recovery from the far-reaching effects of COVID-19, according to its’ website,https://covid.ks.gov/spark-recovery-office/

SPARK is responsible for the statewide distribution of the U.S. Coronavirus Relief Fund.

The total amount of grants disbursed in Bourbon County were
$2,835,212.86, according to information provided by Bourbon County Economic Director Jody Hoener.

 

Ascension Via Christi Pittsburg Inc. received $203,150 for its’ emergency department in Bourbon County in October 2020.

 The vast majority of the funding we received allowed us to provide additional staffing for the Covid-19  patient surge and the increased utilization of targeted pharmaceuticals for Covid treatment,” said Michelle Kennedy, Ascension Via Christi Senior Specialist for
Marketing and  Communications.

Ascension Via Christi Hospital, Pittsburg, Ks. Submitted photo.
Bourbon County, Government

Bourbon County Attorney Faces Discipline Hearing

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Kansas prosecutor faces hearing for alleged misconduct

Story by the Associated Press, taken from its website.

https://apnews.com/article/kansas-topeka-courts-fc7e12e48e937d6465c34a21422805f3

December 7, 2020

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former Shawnee County prosecutor faces a disciplinary hearing this week over allegations that she lied in court and crossed other ethical boundaries to obtain convictions.

A three-member panel of the Kansas Board for Discipline of Attorneys is presiding over the weeklong hearing that started Monday to determine if Jacqie Spradling’s conduct merits formal discipline, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported.

Spradling is now the Bourbon County attorney and an assistant county attorney in Allen County. Neither she nor her lawyer immediately replied to messages seeking comment.

Spradling is accused of showing a lack of competence, candor and fairness in two cases she prosecuted.

The first was a 2012 case against Dana Chandler, who was convicted of murder in the 2002 deaths of her ex-husband, Mike Sisco, and his fiancée, Karen Harkness.

Spradling is accused of misleading a jury to believe Chandler had violated a protection order, despite there being no evidence that such an order existed. No physical evidence connected Chandler, who lived in Denver at the time of the killings, to the crime scene.

Chandler appealed her convictions and the Kansas Supreme Court overturned them in 2018 and sent the case back to Shawnee County District Court, where she is scheduled to stand trial for the killings again next year.

In its ruling, the Supreme Court said Chandler’s prosecution “unfortunately illustrates how a desire to win can eclipse the state’s responsibility to safeguard the fundamental constitutional right to a fair trial owed to any defendant facing criminal prosecution in a Kansas courtroom.”

In the second case, Spradling served as a special prosecutor in the case of Jacob Ewing, a Holton man who was convicted of sexually assaulting two women. The Kansas Court of Appeals overturned those convictions, finding that Spradling made a half-dozen errors and misled the jury by making assertions during her closing argument that were unsupported by the evidence.

Spradling claimed without evidence that Ewing had abused someone with autism — a claim that the appeals court said “improperly inflamed the passions and prejudices of the jury by painting Ewing as a bad person who preyed on especially vulnerable women.”

Ewing’s case was remanded to the district court, where he is set to stand trial again on the charges.

If the panel of three lawyers determines that Spradling engaged in prosecutorial misconduct and error, it could simply admonish her. If it finds that the conduct was more serious, it could recommend to the state Supreme Court hat she be disciplined. The high court would then decide on a punishment ranging from public censure to disbarment.

Bourbon County, Business, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce, Government, Jobs

Ribbon Cutting For Bourbon Co. Workforce and Entrepreneur Center Dec. 10

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Join us for a
Chamber Coffee & Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Thursday, December 10th, 8am
As we celebrate the opening of
B-WERC!
Bourbon County Workforce & Entrepreneur Resource Center
Attention Chamber Members!
Join us this Thursday, December 10th
to celebrate the opening of B-WERC with a
Chamber Coffee & Ribbon Cutting!
17 S. Main St.
upstairs of the Kress Building
Due to the COVID pandemic, temperature readings
will be taken upon entry to the Chamber Coffee
and attendees will be required to wear masks throughout the event. If anyone feels uncomfortable with these requirements, the host asks that
you reconsider attending.
Click here for the Bourbon County Eco. Devo. Facebook page.
Click here for the Kansas Small Business Development Center Facebook page.
Click here for the Southeast KANSASWORKS Facebook page.
B-WERC is a multi-partner collaboration of Bourbon County, Kansas Small Business Development Center, Southeast KANSASWORKS, Fort Scott Community College, Healthy Bourbon County Action Team, Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce and BAJA Investments. The center focuses on growing and sustaining businesses, connecting jobs and serving people. Current and aspiring entrepreneurs, employers, and job seekers can make an appointment for services including marketing support, financial review and projections, obtaining capital, establishing an online presence, legalizing childcare providers, unemployment and job seeking assistance.
Bourbon County, Government

New Third District County Commissioner: Clifton Beth

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Clifton Beth from Facebook.
Clifton Beth, 47, is the new  Third District Bourbon County Commissioner, replacing Nick Ruhl, who resigned on August 26.
Beth received his associate’s degree in nursing from Fort Scott Community College and is a lifelong resident of Bourbon County.
He farmed for 25 years,  and has been a Registered Nurse for nine years, and additionally is a past small business owner.
“I currently have three businesses in development, but with COVID-19, we have slowed progress on those,” Beth said.
The following are responses to questions posed to Beth.
Why did you desire to become a county commissioner?
“In an environment where health care is changing on a daily basis, I would like to see a stable Emergency Room and a resemblance of health care in Bourbon County. I would like to see a community where my children could call home if they so choose.”
What are the duties of your job? 
“To oversee the management of the county, representing county interests at the state and federal level, participating in long-range planning, and managing the county budget and finances.”
Anything new on the horizon?
“I look forward to working with the new incoming commission this coming January.”