John Thomas Durbin Jr., 54, died suddenly on Monday, March 30th from complications related to illness.
John was born on May 21, 1965 in Salinas, California to John Durbin, Sr. and Mary Durbin, the youngest of five children.
John is survived by his wife, Kelli Durbin (Long), his four children: Micheal Murphy, John, Micheal, and Jeffery Durbin; two step-daughters and a step-son: Katelyn, Ladonna, and Dylan Long; his three older sisters: Kathy Biggert, Dee Anna Poole, and Faith Durbin; six grandchildren: Taylor, Rebecca, Ayden, Jorden, Knox, and Waylon; and one great-grandchild: Vincent, as well as four nephews and a niece: Jimmy Poole, Jr., Brandon Poole, Matt Brown, Jessica Brown, and Daniel Durbin.
He was preceded in death by his parents: John Thomas Durbin Sr. and Mary Durbin (Wicham); his older sister: Candy Brown, as well as his daughter, Justina Marie.
No public services will be held, nor are contributions necessary.
Arrangements are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Marilyn Kay McCutchen, age 74, resident of Fort Scott, KS, died Monday, April 6, 2020, at K.U. Medical Center in Kansas City, KS. There was cremation. Arrangements are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
It is with our deepest regret that we need to announce the loss of our first resident of Bourbon County, KS (elderly male), due to COVID-19, plus other health conditions. We would like to extend our sympathy to the family and friends of this individual during this difficult time and encourage the public to do the same as his family and friends mourn his loss.
The individual was and had been hospitalized out of state prior to 3/22/20 and was Bourbon County’s first positive COVID-19 case. Bourbon County Health Department’s first step was to contact those people who were a contact of this individual. The contact investigations have been completed. If you have not been contacted, your risk of exposure from this individual is minimal.
The overwhelming opinion of medical professionals across the country is that we MUST all do our part to help reduce the spread of this virus. Even though many will only experience mild symptoms, the higher risk/elderly population and those with underlying health issues could experience more severe symptoms.
In an effort to reduce the spread of COVID-19, it is recommended that everyone stay home if you are able, utilize social distancing, use frequent hand hygiene, cough or sneeze into your sleeve/elbow, work from home if possible, and stay home if you are ill.
If you feel you are exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath) please call your clinic first. If you are experiencing life threatening symptoms, please call 911!
If you have questions, the Bourbon County Health Department will answer your call at (620)223-4464. Due to the volume of calls, we are not answering messages via Facebook or Messenger.
You can also visit Southeast Kansas Multi-County Health Departments on Facebook for local updates regarding COVID-19.
The Bourbon County Health Department is aware that daily case updates from KDHE may not always align with County case numbers. This may be due to the individual’s location vs. their physical address.
We appreciate everyone’s efforts to decrease the spread of COVID-19. Please continue this effort.
The Beacon, a local helping agency, is continuing to serve the community. And although they are currently serving the same number of people, the current medical/financial crisis in America and the world will likely increase the need for free food and financial assistance.
Donations of food and money are welcome at this time, Director Gary Murrell said. Financial donations can be sent to The Beacon, 525 E. Sixth, Fort Scott, 66701. For more information call 620-223-6869.
Paying of Bills Urged
Murrell urges people to continue paying their utility and rent bills, even though the bills may have been deferred because of the crisis.
“If you stop paying your bills, they will be so large at the end of this there is little we can do,” Murrell said.
Changes In Food Items
Murrell said that there have been questions about food received from The Beacon recently.
“If you get food from us, you may not get what we have given in the past. It’s because we don’t have it,” Murrell said. “We don’t have bread and eggs. We are doing the best we can with purchasing.”
New Procedures In Place
As of March 16, The Beacon put a new procedure in place for obtaining food, if one is eligible.
To minimize spread of the virus, the public is not allowed in the building at 525 E. Sixth, until further notice.
Also when picking up items, individuals must call ahead to arrange it.
Eligible individuals are to call the Beacon with their name and when they would like to pick up their food order. The order will then be filled between normal business hours of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Friday and will picked up off the back deck of the building.
History of The Beacon
The Beacon organization was established in 1985 to serve Bourbon County residents in need.
It is funded by donations from churches, civic organizations, schools, businesses and individuals.
Also, each year the Beacon applies for various grants to help with food and monetary assistance.
They serve approximately 960 individuals a month and if a person is on food stamps, they are automatically eligible, according to Murrell.
In addition to food packages, The Beacon provides non-food items like blankets, toiletries, laundry powder, and diapers.
To receive assistance, individuals must be willing to share information about their current income levels and proof of Bourbon County residency. Families in crisis are considered on a case-by-case basis.
E. Irene Stockstill, age 90, formerly of Uniontown, KS, went home to be with her lord. She died on April 3, 2020, at her daughters’ home.
She was a lifetime member of First Missionary Baptist Church of Uniontown, KS. She taught Sunday School to the sandbox kids for years at the church every Sunday. She was always ready to help if there was something that needed to be done. She had perfect attendance at church for 25 years. She was always ready with a smile, a kind word or a hug to anyone who was present.
She also worked in the kitchen and lunchroom at Uniontown High School for a number of years. She enjoyed all the people she worked with but especially all the children who came in to eat lunch at school.
Private burial will take place in the U. S. National Cemetery. Arrangements are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
The legislature adjourned about two weeks early this year. The session has been suspended and we do not know if or when we will be back, even though we are scheduled to return April 27. Almost all have been impacted by COVID-19 and the legislature is no exception. There is still important work to be completed but nothing that the law requires. The only topic the legislature is required to deal with is the budget and unfortunately the one that passed is a huge increase in spending that does not address the pandemic.
It was reported the state government is tracking people by using cell phone data. More accurately, the Secretary of Kansas Health and Environment (KDHE) is using data from the company Unacast. The Governor has stated they are not paying for your cell phone data and that this data is anonymous to the state government. The Senate President has made an open records request to assure the data is anonymous. Google has announced they will also be providing anonymous data to the government. You know the data is not anonymous to the collectors. If they happen to release raw data, well you can see how this would be a problem.
The federal government and many companies are tracking you, buying and selling your personal information. This raises privacy concerns and it should. However, most people give access to their information without being aware they did it. During session, I was reading the fine print of a common software application (known as an app) to a friend. In order to use the free app, you had to agree for all access to your phone, including but not limited to contacts, camera, pictures, web pages you accessed, and your location. If you check the box to use the app, you signed over access to all of that information. It’s time that we work on legislation to protect your privacy.
With all of the uncertainty and people out of work, financial obligations are daunting. Many will face property tax payments due May 10. Currently, there is no way to lower the amount due for this obligation other than an Executive Order (EO) by the Governor. Local governments and schools can lower mil levies in order to lower property taxes but that will not address the amount due this May 10.
As we spend Holy Week reflecting, I’m reminded of a prayer we would say before volleyball games, so let’s remember you have been given this and every day to use as you will. “What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.” For Christians this is a very important week. May you have a blessed Easter.
It is an honor and a privilege to serve as your 12th District State Senator.
They want to be sure they are providing the research based information that folks in our communities truly need – knowing that we all have a different perspective.
Department of Commerce introduces Live Chat to help businesses
applying for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans
Topeka, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Commerce launched a Live Chat feature on its COVID-19 Response webpage today specifically to provide support to Kansas businesses and nonprofits applying for Economic Injury Disaster Loans through the U.S. Small Business Association.
The SBA approved Governor Laura Kelly’s disaster declaration request for all 105 Kansas counties, making low-interest, long-term loans available for Kansas businesses to fund fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the impact of COVID-19. The interest rate is 3.75 percent for small businesses and 2.75 percent for nonprofit organizations.
“The Department of Commerce doesn’t administer the SBA disaster loans, but we can help our business partners across the state navigate the application process,” Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “We know this is a challenging time for Kansas companies, and we are moving swiftly and aggressively to get them the support they need.”
The Department’s team of regional project managers attended training provided by the SBA and various lenders, which prepared them to provide guidance to Kansas businesses applying for SBA loan funding. “We fast tracked the training with our partners to ensure we could provide immediate support to the businesses who need it right now,” Toland said.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has added one state to the quarantine list: Connecticut. This is effective for persons returning today, April 6, and moving forward.
A comprehensive list of those individuals in Kansas needing to quarantine for 14 days includes those who have:
Traveled to Connecticut on or after April 6.
Traveled to Louisiana or anywhere in Colorado on or after March 27.
Traveled to Illinois or New Jersey on or after March 23.
Traveled to a state with known widespread community transmission (California, Florida, New York and Washington state) on or after March 15.
Visited Eagle, Summit, Pitkin and Gunnison counties in Colorado in the week of March 8 or after.
Traveled on a cruise ship or river cruise on or after March 15.
People who have previously been told by Public Health to quarantine because of their cruise ship travel should finish out their quarantine.
Traveled internationally on or after March 15.
People who have previously been told by Public Health to quarantine because of their international travel to China, South Korea, Japan, Italy and Iran should finish out their quarantine.
Received notification from public health officials (state or local) that you are a close contact of a laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19. You should quarantine at home for 14 days since your last contact with the case. (A close contact is defined as someone who has been closer than 6 feet for more than 10 minutes while the patient is symptomatic.)
Important Note: These mandates do not apply to critical infrastructure sectors needed to continue operations during this pandemic. Public health, including hospitals, clinics, etc. need to have the staffing resources to continue serving Kansans. While KDHE strongly recommends these quarantine restrictions for everyone, we do recognize that medical care needs to continue and no healthcare facility should ever be to a point where it would need to close due to staff being quarantined. We ask facilities to ensure they have updated their Emergency Preparedness Plans and implement protocols to ensure that no employee comes to work symptomatic. Other examples of critical infrastructures include pharmaceutical and food supply, along with others defined by the Department of Homeland Security.
There will not be a regular Commission meeting on April 7, 2020.
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
