The Japan Karate-do Genbu-kai of Pittsburg, Kansas will be hosting their 49th annual karate tournament and seminars April 24-–26, 2026. A karate tournament will be held on Saturday, April 25th at the St. Mary’s Colgan Fieldhouse in Pittsburg, Kansas. This is a traditional invitational karate tournament with 125-150 competitors regionally and throughout the United States competing in kata (forms), kumite (sparring), kobudo (okinawan weapons), and batto (Japanese sword). The tournament begins at 9:30 and is open to the public. There is no admission fee for spectators.
If you have any questions or concerns please contact James Otter, Chief Instructor, 620.232.4480 or [email protected].
We’re excited to share that planning is officially underway for the 45th Annual Good Ol’ Days Festival, happening June 5th & 6th, 2026, in Downtown Fort Scott, and it’s shaping up to be an incredible weekend!
We would love your support as we prepare for one of our community’s most cherished traditions.
Every contribution helps carry on a tradition that has been part of Fort Scott for generations. Good Ol’ Days is more than an event. It’s a celebration of community, connection, and hometown pride that brings people together year after year!
The annual competition is free to enter and open to all students in grades 6-12. Students begin their ARTEFFECT projects by selecting an Unsung Hero whose story they find inspiring. Unsung Heroes are role models, largely unrecognized by society, who demonstrated extraordinary heroic traits and took actions in service to others that made a positive and profound impact on the course of history.
Students can use the interactive Directory, Timeline, Role Models, and Pictographs to explore over 150 Unsung Heroes and select an approved subject for creating an ARTEFFECT competition submission.
Submissions are due April 21, 2026 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
2026 ARTEFFECT Competition Certificate of Participation
Making a complete submission to the 2026 ARTEFFECT Competition is an achievement unto itself! ARTEFFECT honors the teaching and learning of all participating students with a Certificate of Participation.
Upon submitting a project to the competition, a participant will receive a confirmation email that includes a link to the Certificate of Participation that they can complete.
If you would like to request a completed Certificate of Participation for yourself or on behalf of your student(s), please email arteffect@lowellmilken.org upon completion of your submission.
PRO TIP: Get ready to submit! Access the 10-Step Submission Guide to submit projects for the 2026 ARTEFFECT competition.
Meet our three 2024-2025 Ambassadors who are social studies teachers from Jericho, New York! Brian Dussel and Sarah Espinal teach at Jericho High School and James Lawlor teaches at Jericho Middle School.
Each ARTEFFECT Ambassador culminates their visual arts online fellowship with a capstone project that brings the inspiring stories of the LMC Unsung Heroes into their classrooms and communities. Here is an excerpt from James’ Capstone Project report:
“By learning about the unsung hero, students could truly understand the impact that was made and find inspiration for their artwork. By researching and selecting unsung heroes, students gained an understanding of the diverse ways in which individuals have contributed to social justice, equality, and progress. This deeper knowledge encouraged critical thinking about who gets recognized in history and why, and the value of acknowledging the contributions of lesser-known individuals..”
Congratulations to Brian, Sarah, James and their students at Jericho Middle School and Jericho High School for multiple years of incredible and award-winning ARTEFFECT projects!
If a local Bourbon County resident’s plans come to fruition, Bourbon County will have a new monument in front of the courthouse. John Snalt, a graduate of Fort Scott High School, is raising funds to put a large commemorative pylon on the courthouse lawn.
“We are constantly making history in Bourbon County, and this monument will be a way for future generations to appreciate what has been accomplished,” Snalt explained. He said he wants to make sure that people 100 years from now can fully appreciate all the hard work that went into keeping Bourbon County alive.
The pylon is designed to have four sides. One side will cover achievements related to education. “The goal is to record noteworthy events,” he said. “We’d like to list the number of graduates in the county each year and any relevant educational achievements made in the county.”
Another side would be dedicated to achievements in sports. “When a local team gets to state finals, we want to make sure people remember it,” said Snalt. He said seeing what your community has done in the past is a good way for future generations to aim high themselves.
Another side will be dedicated to business achievements and show new businesses that have opened or places that have closed.
The fourth side would be dedicated to local government and highlight key events. “This side of the monument will help record the names of people serving in local government as well as notable events and achievements,” explained Snalt.
The monument will start out mostly blank, so information can be added each year. “We want this to be a type of living historical record where the acts and achievements of today are recorded for the future,” said Snalt.
Originally, the monument was designed to be 20 feet tall in order to accommodate records for the next 50 years. However, recent events have sent Snalt back to the drawing board to design a much larger monument.
Based on rapid turnover in the county commission, Snalt says a 20-foot monument would only have enough room to handle the records for the next two years.
“Don’t forget we don’t want this to just be a dry record of names,” he said. “We want more of what was actually happening. That includes the good and the bad, so we plan to include things like the significant lawsuits that the county is involved in.” Snalt said that when the current commissioner turnover and the vast number of lawsuits being started are taken into consideration, the monument will need to be approximately four and a half miles high. That larger size requires a much larger budget. Snalt is hoping for local residents to join the cause and help him raise the approximately 3 trillion necessary for the granite needed in construction. “We hope to have enough donors to start construction in exactly one year from today on April 1st.”
Snalt was previously involved in the efforts to build a snake pit in Gunn Park back on April 1st, in 2024, and inspired the alligator petting zoo plans from April 1st, 2025.
In what stargazers are calling a “bold step toward celestial stewardship,” the Bourbon County Commission voted Monday to approve a new rural dark-sky ordinance so strict that residents will no longer be allowed to use vehicle headlights at night anywhere in the county.
The ordinance, passed after what attendees described as “an unusually confident discussion of lumens,” sets maximum allowable outdoor light levels at just below “a jar of lightning bugs with a towel draped over it.” Standard vehicle headlights, porch lights, flashlights, and “overly ambitious glow sticks” are now considered unlawful light pollution.
Commissioners said the new rules are necessary to preserve residents’ God-given right to see every star in the heavens, including several “fainter ones that have historically been none of our business.”
“We have lost touch with the natural darkness that is a vital part of Bourbon County’s attractive quality of life,” one commissioner said while holding a printed chart no one could read because the room lights had already been turned off in anticipation of the vote. “If people need to travel after sunset, they need to plan ahead, drive slower, and perhaps ask themselves whether the trip is really worth disrupting Orion.”
Under the new ordinance, drivers must now choose from a list of county-approved nighttime navigation methods, including moonlight, memory, passenger-operated lantern shielding, and “quiet instinct.” The commission is also expected to publish a voluntary map of roads considered “less ditch-prone.”
Reaction from the public has been swift. Farmers raised questions about operating equipment before sunrise, parents wondered how evening activities would work, and several teenagers were reportedly delighted to learn the county had made it illegal for school buses to pick them up before sunrise.
At the same meeting, commissioners tabled a related proposal that would require all porch lights to be replaced with “period-appropriate candles in shaded mason jars.” That measure is expected to return next month after further study by the county’s newly formed Subcommittee on Responsible Gloom.
At press time, officials were considering a minor amendment allowing one headlight per vehicle, provided it is pointed mostly downward and described in county records as “more of a suggestion than a beam.”
V. Review of Bank Interest Rates for Excavator (Page 1)
VI. Purchase of Excavator (Page 1)
VII. Adjournment (Page 1)
Detailed Summary
Financial Review and Equipment Procurement The primary focus of this special session involves the acquisition of heavy machinery for county use. The commission is scheduled to evaluate current bank interest rates specifically tied to the financing of an excavator. Following the financial review, the board will move to discuss and potentially authorize the formal purchase of the equipment. All discussions and procedural actions for this session are detailed on Page 1 of the provided agenda.
The north wing, east side of the Bourbon County Courthouse.
The commission concluded their work session on county goals to inform the budget process just before beginning their regular meeting.
Work Session Notes
Commissioner Samuel Tran read through notes.
The purpose of the work session was to discuss goals for the county.
Commissioner Mika Milburn’s goal was to lower the mill levy, proposing a 10% cutoff.
Commissioner Gregg Motley’s goal is to restore trust in the employees, the public, and the financial market.
Commissioner Joe Allen agreed with both of those positions.
Commissioner David Beerbower’s goal is to reduce property taxes by 15% and to rebalance the county’s services, including proactive road maintence and adding a recycling center.
Tran wants to maintain current tax rate, add in a cost of living raise for county employees, modernize the county’s procedures and processes, modernize equipment and standardize the county’s inventory, modernize staffing, modernize zoning and codes, and streamline the budget process. In addition, he said the commission should be keeping track of all that is presented at their table.
After reading over those notes, the commission discussed the possible need for more work sessions to refine goals further.
Mr. Parks – There’s still a lot of trash blowing out of those trucks heading to Iola. He suggested tarping it up a little better.
Parks then thanked the commissioners for their time and effort.
“I think you’re doing a fabulous job,” he concluded.
Department Updates
Culvert Permit Tuchscherer 874 210th – Kenny Allen, Public Works Director
Beerbower made a motion to allow the public works director to handle culvert applications without seeking the commission’s approval. The motion carried, Tran voting against.
ADM Agreement Transfer Station – Kenny Allen, Public Works Director
In 2025 the county lost about $4,000 on the bean program. If they continue with the same amount they will loose $34,000 because of the need to buy a tractor to turn the beans with annual payments of about $30,000 per year. They need a tractor that is 120 HP with creeper gears to go slow enough not to destroy the transmission or clutch.
“I don’t see why we’re doing this,” he said. “To get on board and do it right, we need to get sawdust from the Amish, which is free – no big deal – but it takes seven guys, a skid steer, a loader, five dump trucks, and five to seven days, when it’s available.” They also have to haul manure from Fort Scott Community College. All of these components are necessary to properly compost the beans.
“Without the tractor we took in $73,343 last year in beans, but it costs us $7,416.” he said.
Kenny Allen said that dedicating someone to the flipping the beans reduces the number of workers available for all the other jobs at the transfer station. Tran said that it will take an additional employee to water and flip the beans. Historically the beans have stayed behind and the process was never complete.
“I’m asking you to do away with it,” said Kenny Allen to the commission. He said that the people who work out there also want to do away with it. He said they have plenty of dirt, which is preferable to the beans in his opinion.
Tran agreed.
Beerbower asked how much the county is paid to use the beans, because it would have to be enough to pay for a fifth employee and a new tractor.
Kenny Allen also said that the rest of the landfill equipment is in poor shape and it doesn’t seem wise to pour so much money into the bean system.
Beerbower made the motion to stop doing the bean program. Motley seconded it. In discussion, Milburn said she would want outside counsel before making the change.
Motion carried with Commissioner Joe Allen and Mika Milburn opposed.
Next, Kenny Allen, Public Works Director, mentioned that they had to take a load of trash to Arcadia for a cost of $1,602 because the regular place in Iola, Allen County was closed due to wind. The cost of that same load at Allen County would have been $630. He said that if the wind is closing their regular drop off, they will have to close the Bourbon County Transfer Station as well in order not to completely blow their budget.
Milburn asked how closing due to wind serves the people. Beerbower suggested raising rates for the Bourbon County Landfill if the Iola location is closed. The commission decided that it was logistically impossible to make that change.
Kenny Allen also brought up the need for a new excavator, as all the parts for the one they currently have must come from Korea. He said he has spent $30,000 on it to get it ready to remove the overburden from another blast at Blake Quarry.
He found a 2019 excavator with 4,000 hours on it for a yearly payment of $34,000 at a 4.9% interest rate. It can be paid for from the sales tax and road and bridge, $17,000 from each account per year.
Motley asked if he had checked with local banks to see if he could get better rates. He offered to call the five banks in Fort Scott that could bid on it and see if they can beat the 4.9% rate.
Commissioner Joe Allen moved to allow Motley to make those calls, followed by a brief meeting of the commission to vote on the lease agreement.
Motion passed with Milburn voting against.
Old Business
Elevator Package – Tran
Tran said he spoke to Otis and they are going ahead with to “roll with it.”
Vending Machine Placement – Allen
Commissioner Allen said that after discussing it with those who work in the courthouse, consensus was to install a new machine on the first floor of the courthouse, where more people will use them.
Title IV-E County Reimbursement Opportunity – Motley
Asked permission to apply for the grant which covers 23% of the cost of foster care services for children in need of care including attorney’s fees and social workers. Motley said there’s a substantial number of children in need of care in Bourbon County.
Beerbower moved to allow him to apply for the grant and the motion carried unanimously.
Audit RFP – Tran
Tran read a list of potential person’s of contact outside the county, which included several law enforcement personnel from counties in the region.
The commission said they preferred going with best value rather than sealed bids. Tran then explained how the best value method works.
Motley said he has a problem with Baker Tilly bidding, as they drew up the RFP. Tran said they would deal with that at the time of the bid. Motley also has a problem with a county employee being the point of contact. He suggested choosing someone like Kaety Bowers, Republican Party Chair for Bourbon County, since she is outside the system.
Tran asked the vice-chair of the Republican Party, Tim Emerson, who was at the meeting, if he would work with Bowers on the process. Tran had already spoken with Bowers and gotten her verbal consent. Emerson also agreed.
Motley was concerned about the hourly cost of a “fishing expedition,” and suggested the commissioners list the transactions they want audited instead.
Allen expressed a like concern regarding cost and the idea of a fishing expedition as well as using Baker Tilly.
Tran said the minimum cost estimate he was given by Baker Tilly is $20,000.
Motley motioned to use the Greenwood County Sheriff, Heath Samuels, as the outside POC on the recommendation of Bourbon County Sheriff Bill Martin. The motion carried.
Tran then moved to be allowed to start the RFP process using the following dates:
Issue date of April 6.
Deadline for written questions of April 20.
Answers will be due April 27.
Proposal due date will be May 4.
Intent to award will be May 18.
Allen asked why the Sheriff’s department and corrections were not on the list of auditable departments per the RFP. Tran said that those departments had already been audited by Baker Tilly. Allen then said if they are left off, he wants to know why the others are included. Tran said that would drive up the cost of the bid.
“I think everybody should be listed,” said Allen.
The motion carried with Allen voting against.
Update on Benefit District on 190th St. – Motley
Kenny Allen said the price the county quoted the neighborhood to improve their road was $144,000. That information was shared with the residents and they did not get back to the county with a decision. Motley said he would tell his constituent that.
New Business
Hay Bids – County Clerk
Susan Walker said she would post it and then the county would take sealed bids to be opened April 20th in the commission meeting. The Elm Creek location has been removed from the list of available locations because of its proximity to the quarry.
Future Agenda Topics
Intent to terminate contract for Juvenile Detention Center in Gerard
Auction
Work session for sewer
Commission Comments
Joe Allen: A bus driver sent her thanks to public works for cleaning up her route so quickly.
Also, he attended the CORE Community graduation and was very impressed with the program.
