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Bourbon County, Elections, Government, Kansas

Early Voting Starts in Bourbon County Next Monday, July 20 at the Courthouse

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Voter booths at the Bourbon County Courthouse.
 

Early voting in Bourbon County begins next Monday, July 20 and runs until August 3. The election is August 4.

Voters will be able to vote Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 8 am. to noon at the Courthouse only.

Election Day is August 4 and voting will be at the usual polling places on that day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Those running for office are listed on this document send from the Bourbon County Clerks staff:
“Everyone can vote,” said Bourbon County Election Clerk Amber Page. “But, since August is a Primary, there will only be ballots for Republican and Democrat parties to vote on candidates.
“For those who choose not to affiliate with either of the major parties, there will be an Unaffiliated Ballot with just the Constitutional Amendment question on it.”
“The Constitutional Amendment is copied exactly how the State sent it to us to put on the ballot,” Page said. “If I understood correctly, the strike-through is over the original script that is being voted on to change or remove.”

The following constitutional amendment will be voted on during the August 4, 2026 Primary Election, taken from the Kansas Secretary of State website.

Vote Yes or No

“Explanatory statement. This amendment gives the voters the right to elect the justices of the Kansas supreme court. The justices shall serve terms of six years, with the elections of justice positions 1, 2 and 3 to occur in 2028, positions 4 and 5 to occur in 2030 and positions 6 and 7 to occur in 2032, and every six years thereafter. The rules applicable for such elections and the designation of position numbers shall be provided by law. Any vacancy on the court for an unexpired term shall be filled at an election as provided by law.

“A vote for this proposition would give Kansas citizens the right to elect Kansas supreme court justices as provided by law. Justices will hold office for terms of six years. The Kansas supreme court nominating commission, whose membership consists of a majority of lawyers, would be abolished.

“A vote against this proposition would continue the current system in which the Kansas supreme court nominating commission, whose membership consists of a majority of lawyers, provides the governor a list of three individuals to choose from for vacancies on the Kansas supreme court. Justices hold office for a term of six years and retain their offices if they win a retention election in which they do not face an opponent.

Shall the following be adopted?

Ҥ 5. Selection of justices of the supreme court. The citizens of Kansas who are qualified electors shall elect the justices of the supreme court. The rules applicable for such elections and the designation of position numbers shall be provided by law. Justice positions 1, 2 and 3 shall be elected at the general election in November of 2028, justice positions 4 and 5 in November of 2030 and justice positions 6 and 7 in November of 2032, and every six years thereafter, respectively. Any vacancy occurring on the supreme court for an unexpired term shall be filled by election as provided by law.(a) Any vacancy occurring in the office of any justice of the supreme court and any position to be open thereon as a result of enlargement of the court, or the retirement or failure of an incumbent to file his declaration of candidacy to succeed himself as hereinafter required, or failure of a justice to be elected to succeed himself, shall be filled by appointment by the governor of one of three persons possessing the qualifications of office who shall be nominated and whose names shall be submitted to the governor by the supreme court nominating commission established as hereinafter provided.

(b) In event of the failure of the governor to make the appointment within sixty days from the time the names of the nominees are submitted to him, the chief justice of the supreme court shall make the appointment from such nominees.

(c) Each justice of the supreme court appointed pursuant to provisions of subsection (a) of this section shall hold office for an initial term ending on the second Monday in January following the first general election that occurs after the expiration of twelve months in office. Not less than sixty days prior to the holding of the general election next preceding the expiration of his term of office, any justice of the supreme court may file in the office of the secretary of state a declaration of candidacy for election to succeed himself. If a declaration is not so filed, the position held by such justice shall be open from the expiration of his term of office. If such declaration is filed, his name shall be submitted at the next general election to the electors of the state on a separate judicial ballot, without party designation, reading substantially as follows:

“Shall

_______________________________
(Here insert name of justice.)

_______________________________
(Here insert the title of the court.)

be retained in office?”

If a majority of those voting on the question vote against retaining him in office, the position or office which he holds shall be open upon the expiration of his term of office; otherwise he shall, unless removed for cause, remain in office for the regular term of six years from the second Monday in January following such election. At the expiration of each term he shall, unless by law he is compelled to retire, be eligible for retention in office by election in the manner prescribed in this section.

(d) A nonpartisan nominating commission whose duty it shall be to nominate and submit to the governor the names of persons for appointment to fill vacancies in the office of any justice of the supreme court is hereby established, and shall be known as the “supreme court nominating commission.” Said commission shall be organized as hereinafter provided.

(e) The supreme court nominating commission shall be composed as follows: One member, who shall be chairman, chosen from among their number by the members of the bar who are residents of and licensed in Kansas; one member from each congressional district chosen from among their number by the resident members of the bar in each such district; and one member, who is not a lawyer, from each congressional district, appointed by the governor from among the residents of each such district.

(f) The terms of office, the procedure for selection and certification of the members of the commission and provision for their compensation or expenses shall be as provided by the legislature.

(g) No member of the supreme court nominating commission shall, while he is a member, hold any other public office by appointment or any official position in a political party or for six months thereafter be eligible for nomination for the office of justice of the supreme court. The commission may act only by the concurrence of a majority of its members.”

“§ 8. Prohibition of political activity by justices and certain judges. No justice of the supreme court who is appointed or retained under the procedure of section 5 of this article, nor any judge of the district court holding office under a nonpartisan method authorized in subsection (a) of section 6 of this article shall directly or indirectly make any contribution to or hold any office in a political party or organization or take part in any political campaign, except when such judge is a candidate for election to a position on an appellate court.”

“§ 15. Removal of justices and judges. Justices of the supreme court may be removed from office by impeachment and conviction as prescribed in article 2 of this constitution. In addition to removal by impeachment and conviction, justices may be retired after appropriate hearing, upon certification to the governor, by the supreme court nominating commission that such justice is so incapacitated as to be unable to perform adequately his duties. Other judges shall be subject to retirement for incapacity, and to discipline, suspension and removal for cause by the supreme court after appropriate hearing.”

⬭ Yes
⬭ No

Bourbon County, Government

Fulton Is Issued a Boil Water Advisory Today

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Contact: Jill Bronaugh
[email protected]

Boil Water Advisory Issued for the City of Fulton, Bourbon County

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a boil water advisory for the City of Fulton public water supply system located in Bourbon County.

Customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:

  • Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation or use bottled water.
  • Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
  • If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
  • Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
  • Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.

The advisory took effect on July 15, 2026 and will remain in effect until the conditions that placed the system at risk of bacterial contamination are resolved. KDHE officials issued the advisory because the city cannot currently maintain the minimum required chlorine residual. Failure to maintain required chlorine residual levels may put the system at risk for bacterial contamination.

Regardless of whether the public water supplier or Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) announced a boil water advisory, only KDHE can issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.

For consumer questions, please contact the water system at 620-857-4464, or KDHE at 785-296-5514. For consumer information please visit KDHE’s PWS Consumer Information webpage:https://www.kdhe.ks.gov/468/Disruption-in-Water-Service

Restaurants and other food establishments that have questions about the impact of the boil water advisory on their business can contact the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s food safety & lodging program at  [email protected] or call 785-564-6767.

###

Bourbon County

Fort Scott Commission Declines Continuum of Care Grant for Transitional Housing

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The Fort Scott City Commission voted 4–1 on July 13 to decline a Continuum of Care grant that would have had the city acquire and operate the former convent building as a transitional housing project.

The vote came during a continued special meeting, where the grant was the central agenda item. The proposal — known as BridgePoint Community — would have used federal Continuum of Care funding to renovate the building into a transitional housing facility for people experiencing homelessness.

City Manager Brad Matkin opened the discussion by reading a prepared statement opposing the plan. He said his objection was not to transitional housing itself, but to the city owning and operating such a facility: grant funding is temporary, he noted, while the long-term operating costs would ultimately fall on taxpayers. A qualified nonprofit, he argued, would be better positioned to run the program.

Commissioner Julie Buchta then moved to reject the grant. “Our first decision, in my opinion, is that we disapprove this consideration, continuum of care grant,” she said. Commissioner Tim Van Hoecke seconded, and the motion to reject the grant passed 4–1. Commissioner Matthew Wells cast the lone dissenting vote, saying that even if he had been inclined to vote yes, he had already been outvoted.

Commissioners said the proposal felt rushed, raised concerns about the building’s location near an elementary school and Gunn Park, and felt the scale of the project was too large for the city to take on.

An extended public comment period followed, with residents and operators of existing transitional-housing programs sharing their perspectives on homelessness in Fort Scott — including personal recovery stories and calls for the community to keep working on the issue through other approaches.

Bottom line: the grant will not move forward. The city will not submit the application to acquire and operate the convent building as a transitional housing project.

Special Meeting Agenda — July 13, 2026 (PDF)

Bourbon County, Fair, Food, Youth

2026 Bourbon County Fair Started Today: Join The Fun

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Today was the start of the county fair, the culmination of the work that 4-H’ers put into their projects.
Most of the action was in the Myers Building, with people bustling to have their items entered into the competition.
Each 4-H Club creates a diorama for competition which is on display in the Cloverleaf Event Center.
Another 4-H diorama.
Another diorama in the Cloverleaf Event Center.
The Myers Building was busy with people entering their exhibits on Monday afternoon.

Open Class exhibitors enter their art work.

People went to different stations in the Myers Building to enter their items.
Exhibitors of all ages were entering their projects in the Myers Building on Monday afternoon.

 

All indoor exhibits and open class exhibits were entered, in addition to 4-H and Open Class Market Animals, Poultry and Rabbits.
Judging was completed on the indoor exhibits in the Clover Leaf Event Center.
Karlee Hereford, Northeast Scott 4-H Club Member, readies her goats for the Bourbon County Fair on Monday afternoon.
Karlee’s Dad, Jake Hereford hands his daughter a bale of hay for feeding to her goats. The 17-year-old has been in 4-H for eight years.
Market animals were weighed, ready for the judging to start this week.
The following schedule for tomorrow’s activities is provided by Emelia Whiteaker, vice president of the Bourbon County Fair Association.
Tuesday, July 14th at the Bourbon County Fair, located on Horton Street in Fort Scott.
The tables are ready for fairgoers and participants to enjoy a meal in the Clover Leaf Event Center.
7 a.m. to 2 p.m. – Uniontown 4H Club Concession Stand in the Cloverleaf Event Center
8 a.m. – Rabbit Judging
9 a.m. – Open Class Judging – Myers Building is Closed
9 a.m. – Southwest/Southland Dairy Mobile Classroom with presentation at 9:30 am and 10:30 am
10 a.m. – Poultry Judging
11 a.m. – Operation Wildlife Eagle Presentation
12 p.m. – FCE Bake Sale in the Myers Building
12 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Myers Building Open for viewing
1 p.m. – Bourbon County 4H Council Afternoon Matinee in the Cloverleaf Event Center
5 p.m. to 8 p.m. – Merchant’s Building Open – over 15 vendors
5 p.m. – Sheep Show
6:30 p.m. – Meat Goat Show
Food Vendors:
7 a.m. to 2 p.m.  at the Uniontown 4H Club Concession Stand in Cloverleaf Event Center
All Day – Lemonade Lagoon
5 p.m. – Jonny O’s Food Truck
Some of the flyers on the doors of the buildings, telling of some of the week’s fair events.
A draft horse pull is July 16 at 8 p.m. at the fair.
On July 14 from noon to 2 p.m. is the selling of the prize winning foods judged in open class in the Myers Building.
There will be a free pancake breakfast on July 15 from 7 to 8 a.m. at the Cloverleaf Event Center, provided by Landmark Bank.
Fort Scott, Youth

Recent Fort Scott High School Grad Kenna Miles Pursues A Childhood Dream

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Kenna Miles is a 2026 Fort Scott High School graduate and is asking her community to help reach her goal to attend Theatre Arts Preparatory School in Las Vegas, Nevada starting September 1.

Kenna is chasing a dream she has had since a small child.

“More than anything, I want to give myself the chance to chase the dream I have had since I was little,” she said. “I have worked hard in dance and wrestling, and now I am ready to step back into dance and performing with everything I have.”

“She got a scholarship in wrestling to attend a university, but feels called by God to go into dancing,” her mother, Leslie Godden said.

She has been accepted into a training program in Nevada and is seeking help with funding for tuition, program fees, housing, and living expenses.

Godden said Kenna was dancing even in her womb. “And in her car seat, her head would be bobbing along with music. She started dancing at age 4.”

In school, Kenna was in both dance and wrestling. She started wrestling in 8th grade after watching her younger brother, Ryken Miles, wrestle. She won the state championship in wrestling twice.

The family found out about one month ago that she is eligible to attend the Theatre Arts Preparatory School in Las Vegas.

Even though Kenna received a Peterson Scholarship from Fort Scott High School, that and the FAFSA approval that she received are both for university attendance. The school she is wanting to attend is a trades school.

The FAFSA form is an application for student aid, such as federal grants, work-study funds, and loans.

“They both had certain guidelines, and trade schools are not approved,” Godden said.

In the submitted graphics, there is information about the mechanism to help fund Kenna’s training.

The following is an interview with Kenna:

When/how did you hear about this opportunity?

“I first heard about Theatre Arts Preparatory School, TAPS, through Don Mirault.https://theaterartsprepschool.com/faculty/don-mirault/ I have known Don through Talent on Parade, which is a dance competition and convention I have attended and competed at for many years. Through dance, I have been able to learn from so many people, and TAPS was always one of those programs I knew about and looked up to.

“One of my “big sisters” from dance also went to TAPS after high school, so I have been able to watch her journey for years.”

Aubrey Colvin, from Southeast High School, Cherokee, was the ‘big sister’, said Godden.

“Seeing what the program did for her made me realize it was something I could see myself doing someday too. It has always been in the back of my mind as a dream opportunity.

“When the time came, I decided to go for it. I submitted my audition videos, tried out, and was accepted. Now I am working hard to make it possible to actually get there.”

Kenna Miles Sponsorship Levels Flyer

What is the deadline to help?

“The biggest need is as soon as possible. My schooling begins September 1, 2026, and I need to be moved to Las Vegas before then. I am currently trying to raise $9,000 to help with my initial program costs, housing deposits, moving expenses, and getting started once I arrive.

“Because I was accepted later than many of the other students, payments and planning have to happen quickly. Any help now makes a huge difference and helps me get one step closer to being able to attend.”

What is your hope/dream following this training?

“My hope after this training is to build a future in dance, theatre, and performing. Dance has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, and I want to keep growing as a performer and see where it can take me professionally.

“I would love to work in the entertainment industry, whether that is stage, live performance, commercial dance, theatre, or other opportunities that come from training and being in Las Vegas. I know this program would push me, challenge me, and help prepare me for the next level.”

Godden said if the funding doesn’t come through this year, next year Kenna will be working hard to attend TAPS.

Opinion

Opinion: There Can Be Another Western? – Mark Shead

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Nick Graham recently wrote that Bourbon County will never get another Western Insurance company. On first reading, I mentally nodded my head in agreement, but then paused. While on one level, he is right—the probability of a large insurance company wanting to come to Bourbon County and employ 1,000 people is extraordinarily close to zero—the actual history of the Western illustrates his point of the need for business investments and an environment that allows growth.

THE WESTERN INSURANCE COMPANIES PIONEER PROTECTION FORT SCOTT, KANSAS Trademark | TrademarkiaThe Western didn’t just “come to Fort Scott” and start employing a thousand people. The idea for what became The Western Automobile Indemnity Association was dreamed up in 1910 and it started business the next year. It survived the Great Depression due to careful financial management and grew into a holding company that owned a variety of businesses. By the 1950s a 20-year-old Warren Buffett discovered the company’s stock could be had for $16 a share, while it was producing profits of $20 per share. It became one of his earliest investments and a model for the type of value investing that grew his fortunes.

In 1967 the Western built what amounted to a tiny skyscraper downtown with an investment of over $11 million in today’s dollars because they were outgrowing the space they had in the Scottish Rite Temple building.

In 1981, the Tribune ran a story saying that the city had agreed to annex property south of Fort Scott where the Western planned to put an 80,000-square-foot building. This space would be used to house their computers and other offices. The city approved industrial revenue bonds of up to $22 million (in 2026 dollars). Since industrial bonds would make the building free from property taxes while the bonds were being repaid, the Western said they intended to make “payments in lieu of taxes.”

I remember being at the picnic on the grounds of that building after it was built. They had stocked the pond and I caught what, to an 8-year-old, seemed like the biggest catfish in the world. My father worked at the Western as a programmer and would occasionally get called in at night to fix an errant computer job that needed to get a clean run before the morning. I remember going with him, pulling up to the property gate in the dark and dealing with the security process to open the gate, walking from the parking lot to the door where more security verified we were supposed to be there and then entering the massive dark building. We made our way to the computer bunker where the bright lights made it feel like we had just stepped into daytime again. The room had a raised floor that hid miles of cable and pushed the constantly running air-conditioning into the giant computers. The light was a good thing. It made it easy to avoid the gaping holes in the floor where an occasional large tile had been removed to help cool a particular work area for some of the operators. The inefficient (by today’s standards) electronics put out a tremendous amount of heat and required a massive battery installation and huge generators to guarantee they wouldn’t crash if the power went out.

Our family, like many others, depended on the Western’s ability to provide what the market needed. The Western was very good at doing this and the demand for what the Western provided created the demand for my father’s programming skills and created the job that put food on our table just like so many others in the area.

The Western had a huge economic impact on the city and county. It wasn’t just the people who got a paycheck from the Western either. Those paychecks funded many of the other jobs, and the paycheck from those jobs funded others. The company paid taxes that helped fund the government. With the large real-estate holdings it made up a not insignificant portion of the Bourbon County tax base. But 75 years of growth culminated in a $270 million deal selling the company to Lincoln National. Over time it was rebranded as American States, and later sold to Safeco. By the end of the millennium all the jobs were gone. One of the downtown structures was torn down and the other sold for $1 and converted to apartments.

The nature of business in 1910, 1967, and 1981 is very different than it is in 2026. It does seem unlikely that any company is going to give the county the type of investment in office real estate that creates a taxable footprint bringing in the $1 million to $2 million that the Western would have likely been paying in today’s dollars. There aren’t a lot of probable futures where a company heavily invests in an existing downtown office building, runs out of space, puts in an $11 million mini-skyscraper and later follows up with another $22 million expansion on property it asks to be annexed to the city.

The massive inefficient computers used a tremendous amount of electricity in their operation and cooling. The entire setup with the rest of the equipment in the tornado-proof bunker wasn’t technology that was well understood by many of the people in the town who weren’t actively working on the computers. The process of writing code using flow charts and diagrams and then going over to a shared terminal to type in code that ran against the miles of black magnetic tape stored on large spools probably looked like a lot of black magic to people of a time when home computers were just beginning to hit the market. But it all represented a free market where technology was being used to rapidly move forward to solve the problems of the time.

The world is different now, the entire bunker of computing power I visited as a child, could all be replaced with an inexpensive laptop or even your phone. And the work done by all the people in those rows of cubicles has been replaced by a few individuals with more efficient tools today. But at the time, all the infrastructure, all the investment in buildings and human capital was exactly what was required to support the national need for insurance. Meeting that need brought millions of dollars from the nation into Bourbon County.

The world’s needs are different today. There is no massive funnel of money waiting to come to the area if we just build a new building and fill it with 1,000 people trying to mimic the way work was done 50 years ago. So in that sense Nick is right. You couldn’t grow the Western today, but you also couldn’t have grown the Western if they had tried to start the same thing in 1810. It was the right solution for the needs of the time and that particular solution is entirely unfit for the unique needs of any other time.

For this area to thrive from the type of economic growth that came from the Western in the past, we can’t continue to focus on how our county met the needs of the past—needs that don’t exist anymore.  We need to be focused on how we can meet the needs that exist today—the needs where there is growing demand going forward.

If we are unable or unwilling to do this, the county will die. Not right away, but it will fade away through hundreds of small losses with no wins of any significance. As businesses close, they won’t be replaced. As the tax base shrinks, everyone will have to pay more and get less. As taxes go up, it will be harder to justify moving to the area and harder for those who are here to justify staying. (And the idea of being unwilling to do this isn’t hypothetical, it is definitely happening.)

But, if we do follow the model of the Western by focusing on what the market needs today, our kids and grandkids will look back on the coming years the same way we look back on the apogee of the Western. With a fondness for the past, but with determination to follow the tradition they saw clearly modeled for them on how to move forward, adapt, and change in meeting the new needs of the nation and world, needs that we probably can’t even imagine today.

Mark Shead

Note: FortScott.biz publishes opinion pieces with a variety of perspectives. If you would like to share your opinion, please send a letter to [email protected].

Bourbon County

Were Milburn-Kee’s Defense Donations Illegal? What the State Says

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As Bourbon County Commissioner Mika Milburn-Kee fights criminal charges brought by the Kansas Attorney General, some residents have asked whether the money being donated to help pay her legal bills should it count as campaign contributions.

FortScott.biz filed an open-records request with the state agency that oversees campaign finance in Kansas, and the records show it took up that exact question earlier this year. An investigator for the agency told Milburn-Kee that money given specifically to cover her legal defense is not a campaign contribution as defined by the Kansas Campaign Finance Act, and does not have to be reported as one.

The situation stems from charges related to an Oct. 25, 2025 incident when the county commission room while it was being used for early-voting. For the full history, see State of Kansas vs. Mika Milburn-Kee and Judge Rejects Late Felony Charge; State Will Refile All Counts. Lawyers to defend against the charges costs money. As supporters discussed raising funds to help, questions circulated about whether those donations should have been reported as campaign contributions.

The records show that on April 13, Milburn-Kee emailed the agency herself “to request guidance regarding transparency and reporting requirements.” She asked whether “financial assistance for personal legal defense from family members or friends” is “subject to reporting requirements under Kansas ethics or campaign finance,” and said she wanted to “remain fully transparent and compliant with all legal and ethical obligations.”

Two days later, investigator Scott Smith responded with the agency’s written guidance:

“Funds donated or gifted to you for the purpose of paying for your legal defense of the criminal charges against you are not campaign contributions as defined by the Kansas Campaign Finance Act (CFA) and therefore do not need to be reported on any report required by the CFA.”

Smith added two points. First, Milburn-Kee cannot use her commissioner campaign contributions to pay for this defense. Second, he wrote that the donor’s intent for the money is what matters, and suggested she and anyone helping her raise funds make that purpose clear:

“It is the donator’s intent for the use of the funds that is key. Accordingly, I suggest that you, and anybody assisting you with raising funds for your legal defense, make it clear that you are not soliciting or accepting the funds as campaign contributions and that the funds will be used for your legal defense costs.”

The same guidance applies regardless of how the money is collected: “The foregoing applies to funds raised on the GoFundMe platform or by any other means.”

The agency is the Kansas Public Disclosure Commission (KPDC), formerly the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. It enforces the Kansas Campaign Finance Act along with state lobbying laws and conflict-of-interest and financial-disclosure laws for state-level officials. It is important to note that the KPDC oversees state-level campaign finance, not every ethics question about local officials. When a resident’s complaint about the fundraising reached the agency, it said so plainly:

“We do not enforce any ethics / conflicts of interest laws applicable to local political officers, including county commissioners. You may wish to consult with your county attorney or county counselor to determine if there are any local ethics / conflicts of interest laws that may be implicated.”

So the guidance answers the campaign-finance question she raised, but the commission was clear it does not decide whether any local county rule might apply.

The records also show the concern was formally raised when a resident sent a complaint about the fundraising to the Attorney General’s office, which forwarded it to the KPDC. Responding, investigator Smith gave the agency’s bottom line:

“Based on the information and allegations in your complaint, there is no apparent violation of any of the laws enforced by our office. However, if you have specific, verifiable information that may constitute a violation of the Kansas Campaign Finance Act, such as the commissioner using her campaign funds for her legal defense, then please let us know.”

The question behind the rumor was whether Milburn-Kee should have reported these donations as campaign contributions. Since the state says the donations for her defense are not campaign contributions, the Campaign Finance Act doesn’t specify any reporting requirement for them. However, that guidance only considers the relevance of Kansas campaign contributions laws.  The commission specifically noted it does not decide any separate local ethics or legal questions regarding such donations.

FortScott.biz obtained these documents through a Kansas Open Records Act request. The commission released four responsive records and withheld one internal staff email chain under a KORA exemption for agency deliberations. The released records are posted in full below.

KPDC records on legal-defense donations for Commissioner Milburn-Kee (KORA response)

Related coverage

Commissioner Milburn-Kee was contacted for comment but had not replied by the time this story was scheduled.

Exercise, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Ribbon Cutting: Outdoor Fitness Court® at Buck Run, July 9

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You’re invited to celebrate the ribbon cutting of Fort Scott’s new Outdoor Fitness Court® at Buck Run Community Center! This exciting new fitness space offers free outdoor workouts for people ages 14 & up, regardless of fitness level.

Thursday, July 9th
10am
Buck Run Community Center
735 Scott Ave

The Outdoor Fitness Court® was made possible through a partnership between the City of Fort Scott, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, and the National Fitness Campaign, helping make free outdoor fitness opportunities available to our community.

What is the Fitness Court®?

The new Fitness Court® is a free outdoor gym designed to help expand access to high-quality workouts right here in Fort Scott. It features seven exercise stations where users can complete a full-body workout using their own body weight.

Workouts are adaptable for all fitness levels and are created for adults of all abilities, ages 14 and up. Community members can also download the free Fitness Court® App, which acts like a “coach in your pocket” to guide workouts and enhance the experience.

Why This Matters

This project is a great example of what can happen when community partners come together to support the health, wellness, and quality of life of Fort Scott residents. The Fitness Court® will provide a free, accessible, outdoor space for residents to move, exercise, and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

Join Us!

Residents, Chamber members, businesses, and community supporters are invited to attend the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony and be among the first to experience the new Outdoor Fitness Court®.

We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate this exciting new addition to Fort Scott!

For more information, contact City Hall at 620-223-0550.

Outdoor Fitness Court

Outdoor Fitness Court

* The mural on the Fitness Court was created by local artist Stephen Toal, also known as “Toal Bucket.” Stephen has done numerous art projects, murals, and photography work throughout our community, and we are lucky to have his talent, creativity, and heart represented in Fort Scott.

Fitness Court mural by Stephen Toal

Stay after the ceremony for Tiger Ice!

Enjoy a FREE Tiger Ice Sno Cone for the first 50 attendees following the ribbon cutting while supplies last.

Learn More

Visit the Buck Run Fitness Center Facebook Page
Visit the Buck Run Fitness Center website

Business, Fort Scott, Fort Scott Chamber of Commerce

Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting: The Library Speakeasy, July 9

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The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites Chamber members and their guests to attend a Chamber After-Hours, Grand Opening & Ribbon Cutting celebrating The Library, Fort Scott’s newest speakeasy, on Thursday, July 9, from 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. The event will be held at 523 S. Main Street, with the entrance located on the south side of the building beneath Lu’s Ice Cream Shop.

Chamber members and their guests are invited to tour The Library Speakeasy, enjoy refreshments, network with fellow Chamber members, and celebrate this exciting new business. Chamber remarks and the official ribbon cutting will begin promptly at 5:30 p.m.

The Library is the vision of local businessman Al Niece and will be managed by Flo Tanner. Tucked away in the basement below Lu’s Ice Cream Shop, the venue offers a unique 1920s speakeasy-inspired atmosphere featuring specialty cocktails and a select beer menu. The Chamber After-Hours will serve as an exclusive preview celebration ahead of the business’s public Grand Opening on Friday, July 10.

Chamber After-Hours events provide an excellent opportunity for Chamber members to network, build relationships, make new business connections, and celebrate new businesses, expansions, and investments that strengthen our community. As a Chamber After-Hours tradition, a $2 admission will be collected at the door and includes entry into the Chamber’s popular 50/50 drawing, with one lucky attendee taking home half of the proceeds.

“We’re excited to celebrate another outstanding investment in Fort Scott,” said Lindsay Madison, President & CEO of the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce. “The Library is a wonderful example of how historic spaces can be thoughtfully reimagined while preserving the character and historic charm that make Fort Scott so special. We appreciate Al Niece’s continued investment in our community and look forward to welcoming Chamber members to this special preview event.”

Following the Chamber celebration, The Library will celebrate its public Grand Opening on Friday, July 10, and will be open Thursday through Saturday from 5:00 to 10:00 p.m.

For more information about the Chamber After-Hours, contact the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce at 620-223-3566, stop by 231 E. Wall Street, or visit FortScott.com.

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Business, Food, Fort Scott

Lu’s Ice Cream Begins New Hours Today

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Lu Niece stands at the entrance to her new business Lu’s Ice Cream Shop at 6th and Main in Fort Scott in this December 2025 photo.

 

Starting today, July 1, Lu’s Ice Cream shop, at the corner of 6th and Main Street in Fort Scott, will have a new menu and new hours.

The business owners, Al and Luanna Niece, recently purchased fudge equipment from Perry’s Pork Rinds (Bronson) and will be making fresh fudge and, in addition, will offer ballpark-inspired food: loaded hot dogs, nachos, paninis, and salads.

New hours are Mondays: closed. Tuesday through Thursday: 3-9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.; and Sunday: 2-7 p.m. They will be closed July 4.

One novel aspect of this business venture is that they employ individuals of all abilities and are committed to creating a workspace where every team member is valued, supported, and empowered to succeed, said Nicole Regan, manager of Lu’s Ice Cream.

Regan is a former special education teacher.

Nichole Regan stands behind the counter at Lu’s Ice Cream shop at 6th and Main Street.

They sell Blue Bell Ice Cream, whose headquarters are in Texas, where the owners, the Nieces, are from.

“The Blue Bell delivery driver said we are the second largest delivery account in this region, second only to Branson, MO,” Regan said.

The response from the community so far has been “incredible”, she said. “The ice cream sales have exceeded our expectations. We are grateful to our customers and community for making this achievement possible.”

The building at 6th and Main was dilapidated until a few years ago, when the Nieces took it on as a project.

Al and Luanna Niece in 2023, outside their new purchase, the building at 6th and Main Street, Fort Scott.

It is ideally located directly across from the ballpark that is used consistently throughout the summer.

The Nieces own  Niece Equipment in the city’s industrial park and is a leading manufacturer of custom-built water trucks and fuel lube trucks.

 

Entertainment, Fort Scott

Fourth Of July Fun On Burke Street And The Torch Is Passed

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Margaret and Merle Humphrey and granddaughter, Meg, in a prior year’s parade. Submitted photo.
The 44th Annual Burke Street Parade will celebrate the USA’s 250th anniversary of declaring independence from Britain on Saturday, July 4.
“Margaret and Merle Humphrey are symbolically passing the torch to any and all people, young and old, who will proudly dress as The Statue of Liberty and Uncle Sam,” said Barbara Albright, a spokesperson for the parade organizers. “For the first time, Margaret and Merle will be celebrating as spectators.”
“We have a team now (of organizers). The event got so big, and I was so happy to have all these Burke Street people make it more organized. But we always called it an unorganized parade, which made it more fun. A few rules: we would rather not have cars. No trucks,” Margaret said.
The parade starts at 10 a.m at the lineup spot at 10th and Burke Street. The parade will go south around the triangle in the street and then proceed down Burke Street to the Humphreys’ property at 1024 Burke for refreshments. Bailey Lyons will be there to direct.
“Cheering spectators and energetic participants are encouraged to dress in patriotic attire. Bring lawn chairs as seating is open along the parade route,” said Margaret. “Patriotic songs by Kids on Burke, will be led by Jill Gorman and Susan Foster.”
EVERYONE IS WELCOME to post-parade refreshments at 1024 S. Burke Street, hosted by the Humphreys.  Cookies are donated from the community and are asked to be at this location before the parade or shortly after its conclusion.
“Preferably, bring cookies the day before,” Margaret said.
For safety concerns,  no large vehicles are allowed in the parade, and people are asked to watch out for children. “They are everywhere,” Margaret said.
Burke Street Parade Leaders for 2026:
Traffic Control: Frank Halsey
Sound System and Flag Salute: Louie Dunkeson
Starting Area: Bailey Lyons
Information Distribution: Barb Albright
If there are any questions, call Margaret Humphrey (620-224-7388) or Barb Albright (620-224-7762).
A severe storm or lightning will cancel the parade, “however, we HAVE conquered rain in the past,” Margaret said.
Humphrey said the parade started decades ago with 20-30 people and has grown.
“The kids all look forward to it,” she said. “It’s a good way to start the day.”
Dusty Drake in a prior parade. Submitted photo.
Some parade spectators, Sheryl Bloomfield and Mary Jane Gentry. Submitted photo.
Susan Foster and her grandson, Jack, in a prior parade. Submitted photo.

 

Bourbon County

Judge Rejects Late Felony Charge Against Commissioner Milburn-Kee; State Will Refile All Counts

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A judge has rejected the Kansas Attorney General’s bid to add a felony charge against Bourbon County Commissioner Mika Milburn-Kee on the eve of her trial, and the State responded by dismissing the case so it can refile all of the charges together.

At a June 26 pretrial conference, Senior Judge Merlin G. Wheeler denied the State’s motion to amend the complaint to add a third count, Intimidation of Voters, a severity level 7 nonperson felony. The State had filed that motion, with several others, the afternoon before the hearing. Milburn-Kee has faced only two misdemeanors since March. FortScott.biz reported the felony motion when it was filed June 25.

Assistant Attorney General Olivia Higdon said the State has evidence beyond a reasonable doubt to support the felony, and that the person it alleges was intimidated is,a witness (who is already on the witness list), Brandi Ross. The State said the charge rests on the original probable-cause affidavit filed when the case began, which already referenced voter intimidation. All of the counts stem from an Oct. 25, 2025 incident at the county commission room while it was being used as an early-voting polling place.

Milburn-Kee’s attorneys, Tricia and Thomas Bath, objected that the motion arrived too late to answer, that a substantive charge should be argued in person rather than over Zoom, and that adding a felony now would prejudice her rights. They cast the move as pressure tied to her decision to demand a jury trial.

Wheeler said this was not the first time the Attorney General’s office had brought last-minute charges in his courtroom, and he made clear he did not blame Higdon personally but the principals in her office. Because a felony would entitle the defense to a preliminary hearing that could not be held before the scheduled July trial, he denied the amendment.

Rather than go to trial on the misdemeanors alone, the State moved to dismiss the case and refile all three counts together, which Wheeler allowed. The July 6 through 8 jury trial is off. The case will restart under a new case number, and a first appearance and preliminary examination is set for Aug. 3 at 1 p.m. in Fort Scott, where the State must show probable cause for each count.

Speedy-trial clock

Wheeler was careful to lock in one point. Dismissing and refiling does not buy the State a fresh clock. Under Kansas’s speedy-trial law, K.S.A. 22-3402, a defendant who is out on bond must be brought to trial within 180 days of arraignment, not counting delays the defense causes. Wheeler ordered that the time already elapsed, which he dated to April 15, keeps running in the refiled case rather than starting over at zero. By that measure the State has until roughly mid-October to bring Milburn-Kee to trial.

Why no plea deal has materialized.

The Attorney General’s office does not make the first plea offer, so it would be up to Milburn-Kee’s lawyers to approach the State with a proposed plea or to apply for diversion, a stance Judge Wheeler called consistent with the standards for prosecutors. The Attorney General stated that the defense had not pursued any type of plea deal or diversion and indicated that, since it looked like the case was going to go to a jury trial, the state wanted to bring all the charges it believes it has enough evidence to convict on, including the felony it hadn’t filed previously.

Higdon cast the timing as an effort to give Milburn-Kee a way to resolve the case without losing her position. The State, she said, had hoped Milburn-Kee’s defense would bring a plea that would let her keep her seat rather than take the case to a jury.

“Our intention with the filing was hopefully to be able to give her a plea offer where she would not have to leave office, with the Class A misdemeanor moving forward and dismissing the Class B,” Higdon said. “However, if this case was going to receive a trial, we wanted to be able to try the whole thing.”

Judge Wheeler also noted that the courthouse elevator is broken and not expected to be fixed in time, that he had been arranging an accessible location, and that he expected a large turnout given the political tension between the county commission and the county clerk.

A charge is an accusation, not a finding of guilt, and Milburn-Kee is presumed innocent unless and until a jury decides otherwise. FortScott.biz will report on the Aug. 3 hearing.