The north wing, east side of the Bourbon County Courthouse.
A letter of resignation was submitted to Bourbon County by Leroy Kruger on Tuesday, March 18, and forwarded to the Kansas Governor’s Office.
According to Jennifer Hawkins, Bourbon County Deputy Clerk, the Bourbon County Republican Party has 21 days from the day they receive the notice of vacancy from the Governor’s Office to appoint someone to the seat. The Republican Party will post notice of the vacancy and hold a special meeting where interested individuals will attend, and an appointment will be made. The Republican Party will certify their appointment with the Governor’s Office who will then approve the appointment and issue a certificate of office to the new appointee.
“I am still notifying precinct men and women and waiting on official notice from the secretary of state’s office,” said Kaety Bowers, chair of the Bourbon County Republican party.
She expects to receive that notice early next week. Once notice is received, the party will release an official statement that the position is open. A convention will follow with open interviews to ask questions of any interested candidates. Then the Republican precinct men and women will vote for their candidate of choice.
“The Republican party men and women are ready and confident in our ability to do so,” said Bower.
The individual appointed will not be able to conduct business as a County Commissioner until they receive their certificate from the Governor’s Office.
Hawkins has been keeping a file of resignations for the past two years, and remembers other resignations of commissioners during her 11 years of working for the county. Most recently, Nelson Blythe, 1st District Commissioner, resigned 4-1-2024 and Brandon Whisenhunt was appointed to fill the vacant seat.
Lynne Oharah, 1st District Commissioner, resigned 7-13-2022 and Nelson Blythe was appointed to fill the vacant seat. Nick Ruhl, 3rd District Commissioner, resigned 8-26-2020 and Clifton Beth was appointed to fill his vacant seat.
Hospitals that participate in the Medicare program must be in compliance with the Conditions of Participation by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). NRMC was recently surveyed by the Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ) and has successfully met the requirements for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating compliance with CIHQ Standards. They have been NRMC’s deeming authority for 12 years.
NRMC was subjected to a rigorous unannounced onsite assessment February 4-6, 2025. The CIHQ team toured the hospital, reviewed medical records, observed care practices, and interviewed staff and patients. The hospital is surveyed every three years & NRMC team members spent months preparing for their arrival.
“CIHQ’ goal is to partner with hospitals to improve the care provided in our communities,” states Richard Curtis, Chief Executive Officer of CIHQ. “CIHQ is proud to recognize Nevada Regional Medical Center for achieving accreditation.” When asked what this means for patients at Nevada Regional Medical Center, Chief Operating Officer Holly Bush noted “the goal of the survey process for hospitals is to continue to improve the care provided in our community. This recognition reflects NRMC’s commitment to safety and quality patient care.”
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About Nevada Regional Medical Center NRMC is a 71-bed acute, intensive and skilled care hospital providing comprehensive health care services. Staff represent more than a dozen medical specialties including ear, nose & throat, family practice, general surgery, gynecology, internal medicine, orthopedics, pain management, pediatrics, psychiatry and wound care services. Additionally, consultation clinics are held regularly by specialists in cardiology, dermatology, neurology, podiatry, pulmonology and urology.
NRMC is centrally located between Kansas City and Joplin along the I-49 corridor.
When seven-year-old Mia entered the foster care system, she carried everything she owned in a single trash bag. But what weighed heavier than her few belongings was the loneliness and confusion of being shuffled between homes, schools, and strangers — all while missing the mother who could no longer care for her.
In the middle of court dates and caseworkers changing every few months, there was one person who stayed: her CASA volunteer, Linda.
Linda wasn’t paid. She didn’t work for the system. But she was there, just for Mia.
At first, Mia didn’t say much. But Linda showed up, week after week — reading books, listening, sitting quietly with her when words felt too hard. Slowly, Mia opened up. Linda learned Mia loved to draw and dreamed of becoming an artist. She noticed Mia struggled in school, not because she wasn’t bright, but because the moves had caused her to fall behind.
At court hearings, where decisions about Mia’s life were made by adults in suits, it was Linda’s report that said, “This is what Mia needs.”
Because of Linda’s advocacy, Mia got extra tutoring and art supplies that helped her express feelings she couldn’t yet say out loud. Linda advocated Mia stay in a stable foster home that nurtured Mia’s creativity and let her be a kid again.
And two years later, when a forever family came forward — one who loved Mia’s big imagination and gentle heart — Linda stood beside her in the courtroom as the adoption was finalized.
Today, Mia is thriving. She still keeps in touch with Linda. Sometimes they talk about art projects, sometimes life. But Mia never forgets that when her world felt uncertain, one steady, caring voice made all the difference.
Not a caseworker. Not a judge.
Just Linda.
Her CASA.
Learn how you can become a “Linda” to a child here in Bourbon County. Call Christa at 620-215-2769 or email [email protected].
Considered an “existential classic,” the play “No Exit,” written in 1944 by French author Jean-Paul Sartre, explores the burning question, “What is hell?”
“That query stays relevant as long as the afterlife remains ambiguous,” said Allen Twitchell, Fort Scott Community College’s theater instructor, who is directing a version of the play that opens at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Ellis Family Fine Arts Center. “In the end (or the beginning, if you will) hell might just turn out to be the eternal tortures we devise for ourselves.”
The play also runs at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is free (donations are always appreciated), but Twitchell cautions that some content might be a little intense for younger children.
Sartre’s tale involves an apparently unlikely trio of newly assigned residents of the netherworld who struggle to gain an understanding of the transgressions committed during their lives that resulted in eternal damnation and their relocation together.
“It is a powerful presentation, wrought with conflict and emotionality,” said Twitchell, “and the cast was eager to take on the challenge. I believe the results will speak for themselves.”
The cast features sophomore Isaiah Subbert as Garcin, and freshmen Jericho Jones as the Valet, Jaedyn (Ray) Lewis as Inez, and Regen Wells as Estelle.
The stage manager is freshman Jesse Dinneen, while Joshua Ramsey serves as technical director and Zachary Loper as audio engineer.
“No Exit,” however worthy, is not the show originally scheduled as the spring theater offering.
“Honestly, until fate determined otherwise, it was the plan to stage a musical, ‘The Fantasticks,’ which 30 years ago helped launch the career of film and television actor/writer/producer Jason Sudeikis, then a student-athlete at FSCC,” said Twitchell. “Unable to effectively match our talent pool with the vocal ranges required for the musical, we prudently decided to shuffle that show to the back burner and replace it on the schedule with a play that more adequately suited our resources.”
Theater scholarships are available for the 2025-26 school year. Contact Twitchell at [email protected] for information.
The play opens next Thursday (March 27) and runs through Saturday (March 29.
Patty LaRoche. 2023. Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection www.alittlefaithlift.com AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
When my credit card sent an alert that Netflix had increased our monthly charge, I called Netflix to ask why. A kind, young man answered and said that he would investigate. Within minutes, he asked if we (Dave or I) had given someone in Ohio permission to use our account. We had not. Did we want that account removed? We did.
To do that, he needed to get into my account. And that’s when I became a fool. I gave him access to my computer, something my brother, Jim, years before had told me never, ever to do. How stupid can one get?
He told me that we had $145 due in refunds. He knew what we had paid and when. He seemed trustworthy. Thirty minutes later, I was passed on to another technician, and when he asked me to type in my phone number, I became suspicious. “Why do you need that?” I asked. He then told me he already knew it and said it correctly. They would refund my bank account in two installments, one for $20 and one for $125. I was told to type in $20.00. When I did that, $20,000 appeared. I immediately tried to correct it, to no avail.
“What have you done?” the technician yelled at me. You just tried to get $20,000 from us!” I recognized the scam. I had read about it. Next, they would tell me that I need to refund the $20,000 to them, and they would take money out of my account. I wanted to throw up.
I hung up and immediately called my bank in Fort Scott. Did they see any attempt to take money out of my account? Yes–$20,000 from our savings to our checking. I panicked. “Stop it. Please. It’s a scam.” The bank employees shot into action, teaming to stop the transaction. Had it been a few seconds later, our savings account would have been wiped out.
Meantime, the scammer tried multiple times to call me back. I refused to take his calls.
You know what happened next. Our bank accounts had to be closed, all our creditors needed to be alerted, automatic payments had to be changed, etc. For two days I labored to make all the corrections.
With every contact, I became madder at myself…and the scammers. How many people had they ripped off? Wiped out their life savings? I contacted the Geek Squad with Best Buy where I had bought my computer. The scammers had added an app that would give them access to my computer (which was removed), but, praise God, there was no other damage.
But how did I know if the Geek Squad was trustworthy? Is there anyone we can trust? Clearly, I couldn’t trust myself to make wise decisions. I’ve met spouses who could not trust each other, kids who could not trust their parents, parishioners who could not trust their pastors, and businesspeople who could not trust their partners. The list is endless.
The Bible gives us direction on the One we can trust. In Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV), we read: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Why didn’t I pray for guidance when this call began? In spite of myself, I believe that God made my paths straight by having me hang up in time, by banking in a small town where I could connect with caring women instead of a robot, and by having a credit card company that walked me through the steps to stay safe.
I learned a valuable lesson. I hope my foolishness prevents you from making the same mistake.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission will hold its next public meeting on Thursday, March 27, 2025, at the Topeka & Shawnee County Library in Topeka. The meeting will begin at noon and continue until all agenda items are addressed.
The meeting will open with a report from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, during which commissioners will hear about regulations currently in promulgation. Following the department report, commissioners will take comments on non-agenda items and listen to remarks from KDWP Secretary Christopher Kennedy.
A discussion on the night vision coyote hunting season will then take place, followed by workshop session items – topics that may be voted on in the future – including:
2025-26 Waterfowl Season Date, Bag and Possession Limits
Kansas Duck Zones
K.A.R. 115-25-8 – Elk; open season, bag limit, and permits
K.A.R. 115-25-9 – Big Game Regulations
2025 Deer Permit Quotas
The meeting will conclude with an additional opportunity for public comment on non-agenda items. The complete agenda can be viewed HERE.
Attendees can participate in the meetings in person or virtually. Instructions for joining via Zoom, phone, or live streaming are available HERE under “Instructions to Participate in Virtual Meeting.” Those who wish to provide input but cannot attend may fill out the “Contact All Commissioners” form HERE.
An interpreter for the hearing impaired can be requested by calling the Kansas Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing at 1-800-432-0698. Individuals with disabilities may request other accommodations by contacting the Commission secretary at (620) 672-0702.
The next commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 24, 2025, at the Flint Oak Hunting Resort in Fall River.
With the move to increase the number of county commissioners by two at the next election, two districts needed to be added to Bourbon County. Each district is designed to be similar in population and encompass a portion of the county seat of Fort Scott, KS.Citizens in the new districts of 4 and 5 will be voting for the new commissioners. A high-resolution PDF is available for download at the bottom of this post.
At the start of the new business portion of the meeting, commissioner Leroy Kruger resigned his position as County Commissioner.
“After much thought and prayer and for many reasons that I’m not going to speak on tonight, I’m going to resign from my position effective immediately. I will not be going into executive sessions or making any more decisions from this minute forward,” he said. Then he turned in his equipment and left the meeting.
Commissioner Brandon Whisenhunt said he wouldn’t pry into why, as Kruger mentioned having to pray on it. “It’s been a pleasure serving with you.”
“I wish you all well,” said Kruger.
“Now it’s a two-man show,” said Whisenhunt, after Kruger left.
Beerbower replied, “It’s a shame. But I guess you gotta do what you gotta do.”
The commission then moved on to the next item of business.
Old Business:
They had started the meeting with old business by appointing Greg Motley as the county’s representative on the Southeast Kansas Regional Planning Commission (SEKRPC). The commission assists agencies with applying for grants and other steps towards economic development.
Motley gave a brief overview of his work in economic development, including serving on the Shawnee area economic development board and starting the Cherokee County economic development board “That was very successful,” he said. He was also on the REDI board for a number of years. “Economic development is kind of my passion,” he said. He holds degrees in accounting and economics and management and has a 45 year career in banking.
Public Comments:
Heather Ethridge came to discuss again with the commissioners the need to file the deeds for West Plains and Centerville cemetery plots. She expressed that there needs to be a place where records of all the deeds are stored in a searchable format. These are county-funded cemeteries, so the county should be holding the deeds, not the state, she said. There were several mistakes at both cemeteries in the past.
“What can we do in order to make this right?” she asked the commission. She then suggested an email address and excel program for herself to save the scanned in documents. All the information is currently stored in “a tote and Ziplock bags.” The commissioners said she could store items in the county offices, but they don’t have the manpower to maintain and update the records and the cost for creating an email account for her would be the county’s.
“We need to have some kind of thing that’s going to be long term… We don’t have any kind of organized anything,” she said.
Aside from Ethridge, those caring for the cemeteries in Bourbon County are nearing retirement age and there’s no system in place for recording or accessing the deeds for cemetery plots.
“It’s not up to the state. It’s up to us county people to take care of stuff. So what can we do?” she asked again.
County Counsel Bob Johnson said that usually deeds for cemeteries don’t convey ownership, just the right to be buried there.
Whisenhunt suggested a county-wide board. Ethridge said that it difficult because there are so many cemeteries in Bourbon County.
Ethridge said she would try to work with the geneology department and keep searching for a way to store the records.
New Business
Tax Bill
Immediately after Kruger’s resignation, the commission moved on to remaining new business with approval to pay the taxes for 201 S. Crawford at $92.10. This county-owned property was intended for a parking lot but that didn’t come to fruition. “We don’t have any reason for it to be exempt,” said Susan Walker, County Clerk, since it’s not being used for a public services.
“We’ll start working on making it a parking lot,” said Beerbower.
K-Work Workers Compensation Audit
In 2024 the county implemented several increases in pay and overtime was up. Therefore the county must pay an additional $29401 in premiums for the year.
2025 premiums are similar to 2024’s with this increase.
“This is really based on your payroll,” Walker said.
Tax Foreclosure Sale Information
Christopher McElgunn came to talk with the commission about tax foreclosure. He’s been facilitating in tax foreclosure for counties and cities in Kansas since 1990. His firm doesn’t go looking for work because they don’t want to take work from local attorneys.
McElgunn came to the commissioner meeting after speaking to the land bank earlier that day. He explained how his firm works, should the county decide to use them for tax sales.
They charge a $350 fee per parcel and handle all surface process expenses. The fee is added to the parcel as part of the redemption costs. “We do all the work…Our goal is to get people to pay the taxes.”
“Hopefully we have a lot of redemptions, but at the end of the day judgements taken and you have to have a sheriff’s sale.” All unredeemed properties are sold at the sheriff’s sale to the highest bidder. All of those sale proceeds go into a pot. Then comes a court order to reimburse the county for title work and publications. Whatever is left after that is paid to the attorney and the remainder is forgiven. “So there’s never any burden on the county budget for legal services for tax foreclosure.”
In addition to handling your tax foreclosure work, we make ourselves available to the county on real estate property tax issues as they relate to collection for no addition fee and handle the title work.
Whisenhunt asked about the possibility of buyers building on lots purchased at the tax foreclosure sale. McElgunn explained that there are many complications with that issue. The buyer should be aware that he may have to take extra steps to establish his title. There are no warranties with the title at the time of purchase. However, the buyer can come in and file a motion to clear up his title within the tax foreclosure case, rather than file a new case with assistance from McElgunn’s company.
The commission voted to table it and make a decision next week.
Auction services
The commission spoke with Carry Welsh, located in Kansas City, with govdeals.com an online auction service paid by charging the winning bidder a buyers premium.
After a recommendation from sheriff Bill Martin and EMS director Terry Hallsey, the commission decided to hire govdeals.com to sell the unwanted medical equipment from the old hospital.
Executive sessions
The commissioners then held 3 seperate executive sessions. First a 20 minute executive session for consultation with the Bob Johnson, county attorney and Jake Reedenburg, the county’s solar attorney. Returned to meeting with no action needed at this time. Then a 5 minute executive session with Bob Johnson. No action taken at return to regular session. Finally, a 20 minute executive session for non elected personnel to protect privacy with Johnson and the 2 commissioners.
Department Head Reports
Eric Bailey, Public Works
Had a request from the Good Old Days committee to go pick up and return five golf carts from Lamar, MO. Whisenhunt said to bring it back closer to the time needed, in early June.
60th and Grand Bridge Project bid letting will be April 16.
KDOT projects for HWY 7 and 39 widening starting here any time will be an ongoing 2 year project. They are widening from Grand Road to Gerard. County is currently working with KDOT on reimbursements for any damage to county roads during the work.
Also an overlay project on HWY 54 is starting in April going from Ft. Scott to the Allen County line.
Elm Creek update: Craig Campbell has stepped forward and taken the lead roll for volunteer work out there. Has reached out to the high school’s construction trade program, and Justin Johnson, and Fort Scott Community College instructor. They are on board to help make the windows with materials provided by the county.
Beerbower said he would put the group of volunteers that he’s been speaking with in touch with them as well.
Tom Robertson is the county employee working with the project.
The county has also have received some roofing bids. However, the low bid is unable to provide liability work comp due to religious beliefs. Commission recommended getting legal advice on hiring.
Crews have been picking up limbs and repairing signs from the recent weather, so let the county know if you are aware of signs that need attending.
Public Works is also evaluating hard surface roads and putting a plan together for the April 7 work session with the commissioners.
April 25 is the date for first quarter sales tax report.
Whisenhunt and Beerbower want to have a conversation with Bailey about making the landfill its own entity in the future.
Manpower is down 3 at landfill due to internal movement and a retirement.
County Fees
Several department heads made reports to the commission of the fees they charge for the services they offer.
EMS director Terry Hallsey, County Appraiser Matt Quick, Sheriff Bill Martin, Public Works Eric Bailey, and the County Clerk’s and the Treasurer’s office all presented the commission with documents listing the fees they charge for services. Some of those fees are determined by state statute. The commissioners wanted an overview of the county’s fee schedule.
Animal Abuse and Animal Housing
Beerbower, plans to work with under-sheriff to find housing for animals involved in a criminal investigation.
Commissioner comments
Whisenhunt thanked everyone for coming to meetings and communicating with him as a county commissioner.
“I was sorry to see Mr. Kruger have to resign. I hope everything’s going okay.”
Beerbower moved to postpone the March 24 commissioner meeting due to a scheduling conflict and hold a regular meeting on March 31.
He then explained his actions from the previous meeting, saying that he has since learned that they probably didn’t need to have those 2 executive sessions. “My ignorance of the rules is no excuse.”
In order to be transparent, he explained that the first session was about pay for those who work during times when the courthouse is closed due to weather and rectifying their pay.
The second meeting dealt with policies regarding transfers and promotions and rate increases. He dad received complaints about the posting of positions in-house prior to hiring. The current handbook from 2022 is very vague about posting and “we are working on it.”
After discussion, Beerbower decided to instruct county employees and non-elected department heads to post all positions internally before promotions and transfers.
The commissioners then made Beerbower the liason for Freeman and the zoning board. Whisenhunt will be liason for county human resources. This is to take fill Kruger’s vacated place in those positions.
