The Bourbon County Republican meeting is Thursday, August 28, 2025, at 6 pm at the Uniontown Community Building, 206 Sherman on the east side of the town square in Uniontown, KS.
Republicans & Independents cordially invited.
Revised Agenda for the Bo Co Commission Special Meeting at 5 p.m. Today
Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc. Achieves Significant Milestones
Countdown’s Begun
In the past 30 days, Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc. has achieved several significant milestones, bringing the six-bed emergency department and 10-bed acute care hospital closer to fruition.
The multi-million-dollar project is still on track to open at the end of 2025, Freeman officials said.
Independent surveys underway
On Monday, August 18, Freeman officials learned that Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc. – located inside the city’s former hospital site at 401 Woodland Hills Blvd. – successfully passed the critical life safety physical plant survey, which was conducted on July 23. The survey is a comprehensive assessment of the medical facility to ensure it meets standards and regulations related to fire and life safety.
This was the first of three surveys the hospital must complete, said Anita Walden, Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc.’s chief administrative officer.
“The passing of that first survey now triggers the second required survey, which is the state licensure survey,” she said.
A state licensure survey is a formal evaluation conducted to ensure a health care facility complies with state laws and regulations regarding the provision of care, patient safety, and overall operations.
Officials with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) have received notification that the hospital has passed the life safety survey and are now ready for the licensure survey, which will be conducted by their office.
“We are currently awaiting notification from KDHE of when they will be onsite to perform the survey,” Walden said. “Our hope is this survey will take place in the next few weeks.”
Following a successful state licensure survey, the Freeman facility must then pass a credentialing survey conducted by Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) officials. The public will be notified when the hospital is ready to open for business.
“We’ve been hearing from multiple community leaders, businesses, and residents about their eagerness to see us open, and I can promise you we are working diligently to make that happen,” Walden said. “We just appreciate the community’s support and their patience as we near opening day.”
Medical Director named
Dr. Mark Brown, a Freeman doctor and Kansas native, was recently named medical director over Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc.’s emergency department.
“This is a rare opportunity to be able to open a new emergency department and to expand Freeman’s footprint in Southeast Kansas,” Dr. Brown said. “This gives us the ability to provide emergency care to the residents of Fort Scott and the surrounding region that has been without acute care for some time.”
Fort Scott has been without a hospital since 2018, and a dedicated emergency room since late 2023.
“I myself grew up in rural Kansas and know how important access to quality health care and especially emergency services can be,” he said. “I spent over 20 years of my career in medicine, working as a paramedic in rural Kansas. I have seen firsthand how rural hospitals and rural emergency departments can make a positive impact on patient outcomes.”
Freeman Fort Scott Hospital, Inc.’s emergency department will provide year-round, 24/7 coverage to Fort Scott and the surrounding Bourbon County communities.
Aside from his physician medical director duties, Dr. Brown will also serve as medical staff president.
“I will be performing administrative duties as well as performing direct patient care while working shifts in the emergency department,” he said.
His licensed physicians and trained nursing staff will be well prepared to provide elite emergency care.
“Dr. Brown is a clinical expert who has been providing emergency care as a physician for 20-plus years. Before becoming a physician, he served the Kansas community as a flight paramedic, often transporting critical patients,” said Renee Denton, Freeman’s Chief Executive Officer of Rural Hospitals. “We are very fortunate that Dr. Brown has returned to the Kansas community to ensure that our patients receive expert, quality care.”
“Freeman Health System is excited to be in Fort Scott,” Dr. Brown added. “We want to be a part of this community and provided the community with the best health care possible.”
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About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2025, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers and their experiences. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System one of the Best Hospitals for 2022. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 90 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services, women’s services, and many others for all of the Four State Area. Freeman is also involved in numerous community-based activities and sponsored events and celebrations. Additionally, in the Joplin/Pittsburg areas, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.
Small is the Gate and Narrow the Road by Patty LaRoche
Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection
www.alittlefaithlift.com
AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)
Small is the Gate and Narrow the Road by Patty LaRoche
Don’t you love those encounters when a military person returns from duty and is reunited with one of his loved ones? It is a common sight on YouTube channels. I tear up when I see an adolescent child run across his school cafeteria, sobbing into the arms of his/her returning parent, with no concern at all for how that looks to his classmates.
More families are now setting up those special, surprise reunions and posting them online. I tear up, seeing them. A few months ago, Dave and I flew into MCI and noticed a uniformed soldier standing alone as we exited the plane. I thanked him for his service, and he nodded. Dave and I walked down the corridor where we ran into him again. He appeared confused. I asked if he needed help. He did. “Where is baggage claim?” he asked.
After pointing to the down escalator, I watched him walk towards it, Dave and I following. At the bottom of the stairs, we noticed a family holding balloons with a “Welcome Home” sign. A toddler escaped from his family and bolted to the soldier who knelt on the ground to grab his young son. The little boy hid his face in his daddy’s neck and sobbed. People all around stopped and applauded. Few did not brush away tears at the sight unfolding before us.
I picture that hug as one not unlike the ones we will have when we take our last breath on earth and are standing alongside those who have gone before us into Heaven. What will that be like to see the ones who gave us so many memorable moments before they passed? I think of my Uncle Kermit and Aunt Gladys who taught my brothers and me how to pump kitchen water and wait in line for the outhouse to become available, who let me hog rides on their mean Shetland pony, knowing it would run me under the tree limb as I tried to take control of its path.
My Grandma and Grandpa, I hope, will be there. They were the ones who sacrificed much after my father died, helping Mom raise three little terrors of which Mom always said I was the worst. They let me sleep over at their house in Rich Hill, Missouri, and allowed my great uncle to take me to church and drive the stick shift home, even though I was just 13. The memories are endless.
I will see my dad who died when I was eight months old. What will that be like? Will I recognize him from his pictures my mom kept in her photo book? I will get to hold our babies who died before they had a chance to live. Will they still be babies?
We can speculate all we want, but only God knows who will be there, who has truly lived in obedience to His word, seeking holiness while serving others. He sees their hearts and identifies their motives. Matthew 7:14 reminds us that this is no easy journey: But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Luke 13:24 makes me cringe. Make every effort to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. Thank God (literally), Jesus gave us directions: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6) Get that? Allah and Muhammed will not be able to usher us into Heaven; neither will our good works nor our good intentions. That narrow road is Jesus. We should make no mistake about it.
U234 Board of Education Budget Hearing Is Sept. 11
USD234 Board of Education 2025-26 Budget Hearing will be Sept. 11 at 5:45 p.m. at the board office at 424 S. Main.
Terry Mayfield, assistant superintendent, provided the following information regarding the hearing:
What’s Happening in Fort Scott August 22 Edition
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Bourbon County Commission Holds Special Meeting Today at 5 p.m.
There will be a special meeting today, 08.22.25, at 5:00 PM at 210 S National Avenue. Below is the agenda.
Susan E. Walker
Bourbon County Clerk
210 S National Avenue
Fort Scott, KS 66701
620.644.7927 Direct Line
Posting…
The Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office Daily Reports August 22
Video Links for Bourbon County Budget Advisory Committee Work Session 8-21-25
Bourbon County Budget Advisory Committee Work Session 8-21-25
These links should take you to the appropriate parts of the video of the meeting.
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00:00–05:00 — Meeting opening and Pledge of Allegiance
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05:00–14:50 — Initial discussion of 911 dispatch funding and city contribution of $350,000
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14:50–33:46 — Discussion of asphalt agreement with city and pricing concerns
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Historical pricing agreements
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Current needs of city (2,300 tons needed)
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Debate over maintaining previous pricing agreements
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33:46–45:00 — Budget reductions and department funding discussion
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Employee benefits cuts
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Cash reserve reductions
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Public safety funding priorities
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45:00–75:00 — Detailed budget analysis
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Department budget cuts
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Mill levy discussions
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Revenue projections
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Cash reserve concerns
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75:00–95:00 — Discussion of employee benefits and salary philosophy
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Current benefit rates vs market rates
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Strategy for future compensation structure
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Impact of Affordable Care Act compliance
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95:00–115:00 — Budget process and financial management
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Role of elected officials in budget management
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Statutory requirements
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Future planning needs
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115:00–122:36 — Closing discussions
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Future budget planning recommendations
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Need for city-county cooperation
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Final comments from committee members
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Freeman’s New Expansion Creates Closer Access/Cancer Care in Pittsburg
Comprehensive Cancer Care
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Freeman Health System officials have greenlit a $14-million expansion to the existing Freeman Physicians Group of Pittsburg facility. Upon completion, it will provide the most comprehensive, high-quality cancer care in Southeast Kansas.
The expansion project – adding 12,000 additional square feet to the existing 4,500-square-foot building located at 1201 Centennial Drive in Pittsburg – is the latest investment Freeman has made to Crawford County and its communities. Dirt is already being moved onsite with heavy equipment.
The nearly 17,000-square-foot facility, utilizing the entire three-acre site, is tentatively scheduled for completion in late 2026.
“It’s so great to see this happening,” said Pittsburg-based Freeman Oncologist Dr. Boban Mathew, adding that the new facility will provide comprehensive cancer care to all cancer patients in the area.
Medical Oncology
The existing medical oncology department in Pittsburg will more than double in size, said Ben Blair, Freeman’s Director of Oncology Service Line.
“We’ll double the number of chemotherapy chairs we have there. We’re also building a pharmacy in-house, and that alone will give us a lot better drug access and the ability to do what we need to do there,” Blair said. “It’s absolutely a huge step forward for us in Pittsburg.”
The pharmacy Blair’s referring to is a state-of-the-art compound pharmacy – one of two major new components centered around medical oncology in the expansion project. Compound pharmacies specialize in creating customized medications – usually by combining, mixing, or altering ingredients – to meet specific patient needs that aren’t readily available from standard pharmacies.
The other major addition consists of a top-of-the-line PET/CT scanner, Blair said. The scanner provides detailed images of the patient’s body and can detect, locate, and even assess the nature of any abnormalities discovered, aiding in more accurate and timely diagnoses.
“We currently have a PET/CT truck onsite – we’ve been using that for a while now – but the new digital scanner is going to be able to give us the ability to do more extensive scans that our current scanner simply can’t do,” Blair said.
Once the building opens to the public, the existing PET/CT mobile scanner and modular compound pharmacy – both housed outdoors and accessible via covered walkway – will be removed from the property, Blair said.
Radiation oncology
Medical oncology isn’t the only key area being addressed. A radiation oncology component, overseen by Freeman Oncologist Dr. Chance Matthiesen, will be added to the new building.
Enclosed within a concrete protective vault inside the building will be one of the newest, state-of-the-art linear accelerators available, complementing the existing TrueBeam accelerator currently in operation at Joplin’s Freeman East Hospital.
The machine uses high-energy x-rays to target and destroy cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.
“Presently, Freeman does not have a radiation ‘treatment center’ in Southeast Kansas. This is going to add that critical missing piece,” said Dr. Matthiesen, who currently operates a radiation oncology clinic in Pittsburg twice a month.
Right now, Freeman’s Southeast Kansas-based patients need to drive to Joplin for their radiation treatments, he said. Data from multiple sources, including the American Cancer Society, shows that the closer to home patients stay for cancer treatment and healing, the better the long-term results and outcomes will be.
“Traveling even an hour each day is hard – financially, emotionally, and physically,” Dr. Matthiesen said. “Our comprehensive Pittsburg cancer center will at least lessen or even eliminate these complicating factors. With few exceptions, they’ll receive their full extent of state-of-the-art, highest-quality cancer care treatment while staying at home in Southeast Kansas. For the most common cancer diagnoses encountered in the Four-State area – including cancers of the lung, breast, prostate, rectum, skin, and others – we will now be able to fully take care of all these patients closer to their homes in the Pittsburg area and Southeast Kansas, just like we’re taking care of them in Joplin.”
Freeman Physicians Group of Pittsburg’s expansion, he continued, “is going to change the landscape for patients in Southeast Kansas when it comes to access to receiving the highest quality of cancer care.
“Once we get started, this is only going to be the beginning,” Dr. Matthiesen said.
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About Freeman Health System
Locally owned, not-for-profit and nationally recognized, Freeman Health System includes Freeman Hospital West, Freeman Hospital East, Freeman Neosho Hospital and Ozark Center – the area’s largest provider of behavioral health services – as well as two urgent care clinics, dozens of physician clinics and a variety of specialty services. In 2025, Freeman earned dozens of individual awards for medical excellence and patient safety from CareChex®, a quality rating system that helps consumers evaluate healthcare providers and their experiences. U.S. News & World Report named Freeman Health System one of the Best Hospitals for 2022. With more than 320 physicians on staff representing more than 90 specialties, Freeman provides cancer care, heart care, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopaedics, children’s services, women’s services, and many others for all of the Four State Area. Freeman is also involved in numerous community-based activities and sponsored events and celebrations. Additionally, in the Joplin/Pittsburg areas, Freeman is the only Children’s Miracle Network Hospital in a 70-mile radius. For more information, visit freemanhealth.com.
3 Attachments • Scanned by Gmail
Some West Side Streets Will Close To Traffic on August 25
Starting Monday, 8/25/2025, the following streets will be closed to traffic.
8th Street from Holbrook to Crawford
Eddy Street from St. Mary’s Road (between 7th and 8th streets) to 8th Street
Eddy Street from 8th to 10th
9th Street from Crawford to Holbrook
Residents in this area will be able to access their houses during this time. Please use caution. Thank you.
Brad Matkin
City Manager
City of Fort Scott
Obituary of Robert Wayne Stark
Dr. Robert Wayne Stark, known affectionately as Wayne to his friends and family, passed away on August 19, 2025, due to heart complications. Born on April 14, 1937, in Blue Mound, Kansas, the son of Nolan Vern Stark and Mary Maxine Stark.
Wayne’s life was a beacon to all who knew him and to the Lord Jesus Christ. He departed this world in Fort Scott, Kansas, surrounded by the warmth of his family’s love.
Wayne grew up in the rolling plains of Kansas and carried the spirit of his homeland throughout his life. He graduated Fort Scott High School in 1955 and furthered his education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he completed a 2-year Farm & Industry Short Course.
At the age of 22, after attending a revival service at Grace Baptist Tabernacle, he knelt down in the milking barn on their dairy farm and asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins and to be his Lord and Savior. Wayne’s faith played a central role in his life, guiding him to the Arlington Baptist Seminary, where he earned his Bachelors of Divinity in 1965. His profound impact on the community and unwavering dedication to his faith were recognized with an Honorary Doctorate of Theology degree from Salt Lake Baptist College in 2015.
Wayne was also deeply patriotic and served his country in the US Army National Guard in Kansas, Wisconsin and Texas from 1955 to 1964.
Wayne was a man of many talents and passions. He found joy in the demanding life of dairy farming and his entrepreneurial spirit shone through as he owned and operated several businesses. Wayne’s calling as a pastor and evangelist was a testament to his faith-centered life, touching the hearts and souls of countless individuals. He pastored churches in both Chapman and LaCrosse, KS. He invested the last years of his life traveling the Western United States as an Evangelist with the Baptist Circuit-Riding Mission. He loved helping small congregations of believers in rural areas, Wayne often said, “There is no small work with God”. He was a faithful member of First Bible Baptist Church in Great Bend, KS.
Beyond his professional and spiritual accomplishments, Wayne was a family man at his core. He leaves behind his beloved wife, Nina Sue Gaunt-Stark, brother, Dick Stark and sister, Nancy Erwin. His legacy continues through his son, James Stark; daughters, Jennifer Ballou and Julie Buchta; step-son, Neal Morgan; eight grandchildren; seven great-grandchildren; six step-grandchildren; fifteen step-great grandchildren; and six step-great-great grandchildren, all of whom will miss him deeply.
An avid outdoorsman, Wayne found great joy in hunting and fishing. His skill and passion for training and showing Welsh ponies were renowned.
To know Wayne was to know a man whose life was a reflection of the values he held dear – friendliness, hard work, and an unshakeable faith. His presence was a comforting and steady force, and he approached each day with a heart full of gratitude and a spirit ready to serve others. He would want everyone to know the promise of eternal life though faith in Jesus Christ who sacrificed himself on the cross to offer forgiveness of our sins!
As we bid farewell to Wayne, we do so with heavy hearts, yet we are comforted by the hope of the resurrection of Jesus Christ knowing that we will see him again!
Funeral services will be held at 1:00 P.M. Monday, August 25th at the Bethel Community Church west of Ft. Scott.
Burial will follow in the Pleasant View Cemetery at Blue Mound, Kansas.
The family will receive friends on Monday at 1:00 P.M. prior to the service.
Memorials are suggested to the Baptist Circuit-Riding Mission 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.