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Inclement weather possible: KDOT crews stand ready
Early weather forecasts from different weather services are showing the possibility of inclement weather affecting parts of Kansas as well as several northern and western states this holiday weekend.
If inclement weather does impact the highways, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is ready to treat roadways as needed. KDOT employees have been preparing since September: Salt, sand and brine materials have been ordered, trucks and other equipment have undergone preventive maintenance and crews have completed training courses.
“Whatever the obstacle, KDOT crew members work together and find a way to get the job done,” said Director of Field Operations Ron Hall. “Our crews always do their best to serve the public in their efforts to clear the highways.”
Transportation Secretary Calvin Reed shared a reminder for all travelers: “Check on road conditions and weather forecasts in advance and possibly delay travel plans. It’s important to stay informed, plan ahead and travel safe.”
Resources and safety reminders for motorists:
- Road conditions: Before traveling, check KanDrive.gov, KDOT’s road condition website, which is available 24/7 and provides camera views to see current conditions. Travelers can also download the KanDrive app in the App Store or Google Play.
- Keep an eye on forecasts: Forecasts will change up to and throughout the holiday weekend. Check weather sources for updated forecasts.
- Emergency kit: Motorists are reminded to travel with a stocked emergency kit in their vehicle.
- Emergency contacts: Travelers who are stranded or need assistance can call the Kansas Highway Patrol dispatch at *47 or the Kansas Turnpike Authority at *KTA if using the turnpike. If it’s an emergency, call 911.
Kansas maintains about 9,500 miles of highways, including more than 25,000 total lane and ramp miles. Clearing snow from these highways takes time, especially while the snow is still falling.
Secretary Reed emphasized the importance of safety for the crews working to keep roads open.
“KDOT employees work challenging 12-hour shifts to remove snow and ice from the highways,” said Secretary Reed. “Don’t drive in their blind spots and give them space to work so they can focus on the job.”
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Judicial branch launches new district court public records search tool
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The Bourbon County Coalition Agenda for December 3
Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition
General Membership Meeting Agenda
December 3, 2025 1:00 PM
Scottview Conference Room
315 S. Scott Ave
- Welcome:
- Member Introductions and Announcements:
- Program: Stephanie England, Prevention Services Supervisor, KVC Kansas
- Open Forum:
- Adjournment: The next General Membership meeting will be February 4, 2026.
U.S. Senator Roger Marshall Newsletter
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Bourbon County Commission Agenda Packet for December 1
BOURBON COUNTY,
KANSAS
Bourbon County Commission Agenda
Bourbon County Commission Chambers, 210 S National Ave.
Monday, December 01, 2025, 5:30 PM
To view the entire packet:
I. Call Meeting to Order
Roll Call
Pledge of Allegiance
Prayer
II. Approval of Agenda
III. Approval of Minutes (unofficial until approved) 11.17.25 & 11.18.25
IV. St. Luke’s Award – EMS
V. Consent Agenda
Approval of 11.21.25 Accounts Payable (sent 11.21.25) $93,276.25
Approval of 11.26.25 Accounts Payable (sent 11.26.25) & Payroll (sent 11.25.25) $327,304.73
VI. Executive session pursuant to KSA 75-4319 (b)(1) to discuss personnel matters of individual nonelected
personnel to protect their privacy – Jennifer Hawkins
VII. Public Comments
VIII. Old Business
Sale Tax – Susan Walker
2026 Benefits – Susan Walker
HSA
FSA
COBRA
Longevity – Susan Walker
Lines of Communication – Susan Walker
Road Closure Application – Patricia Daniels
Schwab-Eaton Engineering Services Agreement – Dustin Hall/Kenny Allen
190th Street Benefit District – Johnson
Sanitation Discussion – Beerbower
Handbook Discussion – Tran
BBCO Planning Commission Moratorium
IX. New Business
X. Build Agenda for following meeting
XI. Commission Comments
XII. Adjournment _____________
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports November 26
Wandering and Wondering by Patty LaRoche

Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection
www.alittlefaithlift.com
AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
A Day in the Life of an Israelite
Sometimes, I think about how the wandering Israelites did what they did. God asked them to sacrifice…if they wanted to be blessed. You and I have Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy at our fingertips, and I can’t even graph on paper on what occasions they were to offer up their unblemished bull or sheep or bird. (Trust me, I tried.) And without fences or branding, how did they separate their animals from the other kajillion mammals running free?
On another matter, were there mirrors, or did that even matter? Think about their clothing and possessions. They had one pair of sandals. One outfit that, according to Deuteronomy 8:4, did not wear out. Never did they wake up and have to decide what color they were in the mood to wear that morning. Or look longingly at the rack of clothes that no longer fit…but sometime, might. Their kiddies did not have stuffed animal collections (like my grandkids do) that rival any carnival offering. There were no books or DVD’s, no newspapers or meteorologists or political rivals. What in the world did they discuss?
The Israelites’ Sabbath rituals centered around tabernacle worship and rest. No golf courses or Kansas City Chiefs to pull them away from their creator. No Sunday school classes for the children. No Sharkys or Lucci’s for lunch. No Walmart “shop-til-you-drop” outings for the family. Had I been the matriarch of a family back then, I pity any relatives dependent upon me daily kneading loaves of bread unless, of course, it was in remembrance of Passover. (Yeast and I are not friends.)
On a moment’s notice, they were to pack up their tents, animals, families and belongings (as few as they were) and leave for…well, wherever the cloud (by day) or fire (by night) led them. Not a big deal when they started out from Egypt because within a couple of weeks, they would be at their final destination. But because of their disobedience, there they were, 40 years later, still comin’ ‘round the mountain with no Promised Land in sight. Just wandering…and wondering, I imagine.
That being said, when I think of the things that fill my schedule (and my life), I sort of envy those who lived eons ago who had none of the entanglements we have. Their life was all about teaching their children about God, setting up the portable tabernacle, and waiting on God.
The choices that consume my day like “What shall we have for dinner?” weren’t even part of the Israelites conversations. Manna and quail and water from a rock. Manna and quail and water from a rock. Manna and quail and water from a rock. Every day. Every meal. And they didn’t even have to provide it. God did.
As I sit here this morning, scrolling through mashed potato recipes on my computer (and, of course, writing this article), I realize that my life is complicated because I make it that way. God expects from me what He expected from the Israelites: that no matter what I do, I follow Him, care for what He was given me, and teach others about His provision. And somewhere, in the middle of all of that, I think He wants me to clean out my closet and let those “too small” clothes be a blessing to someone else.
Christmas on the Bricks Free Concert

As part of the Chamber of Commerce sponsored “Christmas on the Bricks” weekend, Common Ground Coffee Co., 12 East Wall, presents Mariam Tucker Self in concert. Known as Kansas City’s only female Elvis tribute artist, Self will perform a “Christmas from Memphis” show featuring Christmas songs and other hits. The free concert is set for Saturday, December 6, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Obituary of Garin Richard Williams

Garin Richard Williams, 50, died on November 19, 2025. He was born on January 4, 1975, in Fort Scott, the oldest child and only son of Steve and Marci Williams—parents whose steady love shaped him, grounded him, and was returned to them a thousandfold. From an early age, they nurtured in him a deep devotion to family, a lifelong passion for sports, and a profound love for his heritage. He cherished the stories, the family history, and the land that tied generations together, holding those connections close throughout his life.
Garin grew up just north of Redfield, where his childhood was spent with a cowboy hat and a six-shooter, even sneaking his gun in his boot on the first day of kindergarten. After the West was won, he graduated to a dirt bike, pedaling hundreds of miles with his cousins and sister between their houses and their grandparents’—only a mile apart.
He was (at first) a reluctant sibling—he had his heart set on brothers—but quickly became an adoring and protective big brother to his two little sisters, Jayci and Kelci. He loved spending time with them, inventing new “Williams games” like Stuffed Animal Carry and Deck Ball, or refusing to let them beat him in checkers or, frankly, any other game on the planet. When he left for college, he regularly sent long letters and cards for every occasion to his family, and once even hid in a cardboard box to surprise Kelci after sneaking home from Sterling. His family never had to wonder if he loved them; he told them often and without hesitation.
Garin attended school at Uniontown from kindergarten through graduation with the class of 1993. Being mischievous enough to keep his friends laughing, yet mindful that his Grandma Carol was the grade school secretary, required a delicate balance.
A gifted athlete, Garin played football, basketball, and track. Though small in stature, he ran the football with fearless intensity, lowering his head to fight for one more yard. His real legend, however, was on the track. In grade school and junior high, he competed in AAU and the Hershey Track program, qualifying for three national track meets. He earned numerous state and regional championships, along with two third-place medals and one fourth-place medal at the national level. Forty years later, he still holds state and regional AAU records.
In high school, he won three individual state championships and still holds four school records—including all three distance events. Following graduation, he attended Pittsburg State University for one year, running track and cross country. He transferred to Sterling College in 1994 to follow his love of football. He continued to wear #20, just like his dad before him and his sisters after him, graduating in 1998 with a degree in History Education.
Garin married Treva Russell on December 20, 1997. They later divorced.
Garin’s greatest joy in life was being a father to his two children, Shayd and Finean. In 1998 Garin and his family moved to Lexington, Kentucky, returning to Kansas in 2001 so he could take a teaching job.
He taught high school history and was the head football and track coach at Crest High School for two years. In 2003, Garin and Treva moved to Fort Scott, where Garin stepped into the role he was truly made for – a stay-at-home dad and homeschool teacher to Shayd and Fin. He poured his whole heart into raising them and they were the center of his world. He was immensely proud of them and loved them fiercely. The family moved to Charleston, South Carolina in 2012 and Garin returned home to Kansas in 2022.
Garin was also a beloved uncle to six nephews – all of whom considered him the funniest person who ever lived. Garin had a rare gift for humor, turning any situation- no matter how ordinary-into something worth laughing about. People who knew him remember the same thing: if you were with Garin, you were laughing.
Garin grew up in the First Missionary Baptist Church, where he was baptized at the age of 8 by Reverend Deane Endicott. He was later a member of the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Scott, where he was part of the youth group ministry. The foundation laid in his childhood never left him. We trust in the God who knew him fully, loved him completely, and held him even on the days when Garin felt far away.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Jack and Doris Williams and Don and Carol Mix. He especially loved his grandmothers—visiting them often, sending them cards and handwritten letters, going with them to concerts, plays, and movies, and spending plenty of time playing card games. He delighted in making them laugh: one summer he even carried out a months-long practical joke involving a stuffed animal gorilla that Grandma Doris found endlessly funny. And when Grandma Carol decided the squirrels had declared war on her birdhouses, she hired Garin as her squirrel bounty hunter, paying him ten dollars a squirrel. He carried out the job with enthusiasm and capped it off by taping a stuffed animal squirrel to her birdhouse just to get one more laugh. It was classic Garin—equal parts helpful, mischievous, and full of heart.
Garin is survived by his parents, Steve and Marci Williams; his children, Shayd Williams and Finean Williams; his sisters, Jayci (Chad) Cosens and Kelci Ebrecht; his nephews, Dryden and Cal Cosens, Kreedyn Smith, and Colby, Cameron, and Boden Ebrecht. He is also survived by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who cherished him.
Garin leaves us with a thousand memories that make us smile through our tears. His love and humor will live on in the family who adored him.
Private family services were held Tuesday. Memorials are suggested to the Uniontown First Missionary Baptist Church Summer Youth Camp or Ft. Scott’s Community Christian Church Playground Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
Wreaths Across America 2025 Goals Are Met
We are pleased to announce that we have met our sponsorship goal for the 2025 Wreaths Across America event that will be held December 13 at Fort Scott National Cemetery, said Diann Tucker, location coordinator at Fort Scott National
Cemetery.
We are so grateful to everyone who has sponsored wreaths and made this possible again. Every veteran at Fort Scott National Cemetery will receive a remembrance wreath. This is only possible through the generosity of many and hard work in fundraising. If you did not sponsor a specific dedicated wreath this year but still want to do so, we can still include your dedication. Just contact us so
we can help you with that. Any funds received now will be held for the 2026 campaign. It takes fundraising all year long to accomplish this goal.
Our ceremony will begin at 10 AM on December 13, immediately followed bylaying of wreaths. There will be some limited golf cart transportation available to assist in getting volunteers and guests into the cemetery prior to the ceremony and immediately following. Our guest speaker this year is Pat Proctor, retired United States Army colonel. Volunteers are requested to help with wreath
Death Notice of James Lee “Jim” Scott
DEATH NOTICE
James Lee “Jim” Scott, age 79, formerly of Fort Scott, KS and more recently of Excelsior, MN passed away Monday, November 24, 2025, at the Ridgeview Medical Center in Waconia, MN. Services for Jim Scott will be announced by the Cheney Witt Chapel.
