Opinion

The Transparency Illusion by Patty LaRoche

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Patty LaRoche. 2023.
Author: A Little Faith Lift…Finding Joy Beyond Rejection
www.alittlefaithlift.com
AWSA (Advanced Writers & Speakers Assoc.)

“Andy, I will video you from the shower,” I told my son.

“Mom, do you know how weird that sounds?”  He answered.  He was right.  I was referring to an upcoming baby shower.  He couldn’t have known that. Miscommunication can easily become problem.

Is there a chance…

  • He didn’t mean to say what you think you heard?
  • She just might be innocent?
  • He was only kidding?

The chance for misinterpretation is greater now than ever, thanks to social media and a psychological phenomenon known as “the transparency illusion”—the belief that what we intend is crystal clear to others, no matter how poorly we communicate our thoughts.  “Why is she offended?  It’s obvious I was just messing around.  I even put LOL at the end of my text.” Or… “I bared my soul, hoping he would apologize, but he told me that I was being dramatic.” Or… “I expected her to meet me for dinner, but later she used the excuse that she thought I was just messing around.  How could it be any plainer?”

And speaking of misinterpretation, how about those online dating complaints?

  • Instead of 5’11” as he advertised, not even his three-inch orthotics made him close to her 5’7” height.
  • The picture she used was photo-shopped so drastically, the only thing even remotely resembling her were the earrings she wore.
  • “Respectful” included everyone except, apparently, this date.

Sometimes, however, social media is not to blame for misinterpretations.  In Mazatlán, our friends “Bill and Colleen” were asked by “Harry and Marge” if they (H&M) could move in with them for a few days because they (H&M) had an opportunity to rent their condominium and make a lot of money. Nervy, yes, but Bill and Colleen are kind souls and thought a few days couldn’t hurt. It turned out that “a few days” meant a month to the moochers who quickly took over their new abode without offering to help with cleaning or rent that B&C were paying for their unit.  When enough was enough, Harry and Marge were asked to leave (which they did only after bad-mouthing the generous couple and never speaking to them again.)

We all have had experiences dealing with misunderstanding, but I’m not sure there is any book more misconstrued than the Bible. These are a few untruths I have heard:

  • God never could send someone to Hell. (Side note: He doesn’t.  We make that choice.)
  • Jesus commands that we poke our eyes out if we lust.
  • There are many ways to Heaven. Jesus doesn’t mean it when he says that he is the only way.
  • All of the authors of the New Testament got together to write their stories to cut down on discrepancies.
  • Paul hated women. That’s why he told them to be quiet in church.

Let’s face it.  Communication risks misunderstanding.  If we took the time to ask for clarity instead of conjuring up what we think is meant, if we researched just a little deeper, if we did not succumb to the transparency illusion, we might have a chance of being on the same page as the other person.  Then again, if we don’t do those things, we might not even be in the same book.

 

Bourbon County, Government

Uniontown City Council Agenda for March 12

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The Uniontown City Council will meet at 7 p.m. at city hall for its regular monthly meeting.

CALL TO ORDER AT ________ by _____________________________

ROLL CALL: 

___ Jess Ervin ___ Danea Esslinger ___ Amber Kelly ___ Mary Pemberton ___ Bradley Stewart

 

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS/PROJECTS

Pond project – Don George, KDWPT –

 

 

CITIZENS REQUESTS

 

 

 

FINANCIAL REPORT

Charlene Bolinger – Financial reports

 

APPROVE CONSENT AGENDA

  1. Minutes of February 13, 2024 Regular Council Meeting and February 27, 2024 Special Council Meeting
  2. Treasurers Report, Monthly Transaction Report & Accounts Payables

 

Motion by ____________, Second by ______­­­_______, Approved ________ to enter into executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel matters exception, KSA 4319(b)(1), in order to discuss job duties and review applications of non-elected personnel, the open meeting to resume at _______.

 

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

Superintendent:  Bobby Rich

Water valve replacement –

 

Codes Enforcement: 

 

Clerk Report:  Sally Johnson  

2023 Financial Audit

 

 

COUNCIL & COMMITTEE REPORTS

Councilman Ervin –

Councilwoman Esslinger –

Councilman Kelly –

Councilwoman Pemberton –

Councilman Stewart–

Mayor Jurgensen –

 

OLD BUSINESS

Pickleball court project –

 

Warehouse refurbishing –

 

NEW BUSINESS

 

 

ADJOURN Time ____________ Moved by ______________, 2nd ___________________, Approved ___________

 

Attachments:

2024 Financials – February

03-24 Informational Items

Bourbon County, Government

Uniontown City Council Meeting Minutes of February 27

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The Special Council Meeting on February 27, 2024 at Uniontown City Hall, was called to order at 6:30PM by Mayor Jurgensen.  Council members present were Jess Ervin, Danea Esslinger, Amber Kelly, Mary Pemberton, and Bradley Stewart.  Also in attendance for all or part of the meeting was City Clerk Sally Johnson.

 

Motion by Ervin, Second by Stewart, Approved 5-0 to enter in to executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel matters exception, KSA 4319(b)(1), in order to discuss job duties, benefits, and employee handbook of non-elected personnel, the open meeting to resume at 7:00PM

 

Clerk Johnson included in session, open meeting resumed at 7:00.

 

Motion by Ervin, Second by Kelly, Approved 5-0 to extend executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel exception, KSA 4319(b)(1) in order to discuss job duties, benefits and employee handbook of non-elected personnel, the open meeting to resume at 7:35PM.

 

Johnson still included in session. Open meeting resumed at 7:35PM.

 

Motion by Pemberton, Second by Esslinger, Approved 5-0 to have Clerk Johnson post City Clerk position with appropriate publications and organizations

 

Motion by Ervin, Second by Esslinger, Approved 5-0 to amend Section 2.9.0 with the statement that full-time employees hires on or after March 1, 2024 will not be eligible for this benefit and add Section 2.11.0 Health Insurance Benefit effective for all new full-time hires on or after March 1, 2024

 

Moved by Ervin, Second by Kelly, Approved 5-0, to adjourn at 7:36PM

Bourbon County, Government

Uniontown City Council Meeting Minutes of February 13

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The Regular Council Meeting on February 13, 2024 at Uniontown City Hall, was called to order at 7:00PM by Mayor Jurgensen.  Council members present were Jess Ervin, Danea Esslinger, Mary Pemberton, and Bradley Stewart.  Also in attendance for all or part of the meeting were City Treasurer Charlene Bolinger, City Superintendent Bobby Rich and City Clerk Sally Johnson.

 

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS/PROJECTS

 

 

CITIZENS REQUEST

Clerk Johnson reported that Shane Kober requested speed bumps in front of his residence.  After discussion, Council does not wish to put speed bumps on Sherman Street.  Clerk was asked to advise him to followup with the Sheriff’s department for information on how to proceed.

 

FINANCIAL REPORT

Treasurer Bolinger presented the January 2023 Treasurer’s Report.  Beginning Checking Account Balance for all funds was $235,479.20, Receipts $85,918.56, Transfers Out $3,026.00, Expenditures $24,988.18, Checking Account Closing Balance $293,383.58. Bank Statement Balance $293,816.11, including Checking Account Interest of $54.56, Outstanding Deposits $0, Outstanding Checks $432.53, Reconciled Balance $293,383.58.  Water Utilities Certificates of Deposit $37,083.20, Sewer Utilities Certificate of Deposit $21,153.58, Gas Utilities Certificates of Deposit $38,862.06, Total All Funds, including Certificates of Deposit $390,482.42. Year-to-Date Interest in Checking Acct is $54.56, and Utility CDs $0 for a Total Year-to-Date Interest of $54.56.  Also included the status of the Projects Checking Account for the month of January 2023, Beginning Balance $0, Receipts $0, Expenditures $0, Ending Balance $0.  January Transfers from Sewer Utility Fund to Sewer Revolving Loan $1,402.00; from Water Utility Fund to GO Water Bond & Interest $1,624.00 for Total Transfers of $3,026.00.  Net Income for the month of January $57,904.38, Year-to-Date Net Income $57,904.38.  Budget vs Actual Water Fund YTD Revenue $8,044.20 (6.5%), Expenditures $6,943.58 (4.3%); Sewer Fund YTD Revenue $2,715.90 (7.3%), Expenditures $2,136.25 (5.1%); Gas Fund YTD Revenue $17,162.10 (11.7%), Expenditures $10,531.03 (5.9%); General Fund YTD Revenue $52,382.78 (31.9%), Expenditures $8,403.32 (4.2%); and Special Highway YTD Revenue $1,987.58 (27.4%), Expenditures $0 (0%).  The February 2024 payables to date in the amount of $36,872.84 were presented.

 

Clerk Johnson explained the new report for current payables and the difference between the two presented.  She asked the council which report they preferred – Claims Report by Department, by Fund was chosen.

 

CONSENT AGENDA

Motion by Esslinger, Second by Ervin, Approved 4-0, to approve Consent Agenda as amended:

  • Minutes of January 8, 2023 Regular Council Meeting
  • Treasurer’s Report, Monthly Transaction Report & Accounts Payables

 

DEPARTMENT REPORTS

City Superintendent Rich had nothing to report.

 

Clerk Johnson reported several notifications of insurance renewal conditional provisions from EMC.

Website hosting price increase of $2.50/month.

Municipal Court Clerks conference is March 1, in Wichita.  She will not attend this year.

CCMFOA Conference is March 20-22, in Manhattan.  She will not attend this year.

CDL storm siren maintenance agreement should renew in March.  She will have a new agreement for action at next meeting.

gWorks was used for accounts payable this month and end of month procedures will be done on gWorks.  She has a training on Thursday for bank reconciliation, deposits, and reports.  She will then get all deposits for the month entered, process penalties, and mail delinquent notices.

Bourbon County Job Fair is February 22.  She asked is they wanted a booth to try to recruit a clerk and maintenance worker.  Not at this time.

She did order a 2024 labor law poster.

 

COUNCIL REPORT

Councilman Ervin – wished to recognize Clerk Johnson and thank her for all her work in the software conversion.

Councilwoman Esslinger – absent

Councilwoman Kelly – nothing

Councilwoman Pemberton – nothing

Councilman Stewart – nothing

Mayor Jurgensen – the school contacted the City to see if they could stage rock on the right of way for the walking trail project. The rock is being hauled by the county.  He told them yes.  Superintendent Rich stated that there is a gas main just south of the sidewalk by the medical clinic.  Mayor Jurgensen also asked Rich to get fescue and seed the ditches that were worked on Third St.

 

OLD BUSINESS

Rabies Clinic – tentatively scheduled for March 23, 1:30-3:00PM.

 

Mayor Jurgensen asked if the Council wanted to reskin the warehouse and put in the ramp and rollup doors to use as public works building.  We will need to determine specs and request bids for the metal siding/roof, the ramp and rollup doors, and the installation.

 

NEW BUSINESS

Motion by Ervin, Second by Stewart, Approved 4-0 to enter in to executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel matters exception, KSA 4319(b)(1), in order to discuss job duties and benefits of non-elected personnel, the open meeting to resume at 8:47PM

 

Clerk Johnson called in at 8:22, open meeting resumed at 8:47.

 

Motion by Ervin, Second by Stewart, Approved 4-0 to call a special meeting on February 27, 2024, 6:30PM for the purpose of executive session pursuant to non-elected personnel exception, KSA 4319(b)(1) to discuss job duties, benefits and employee handbook of non-elected personnel.

 

Moved by Ervin, Second by Kelly, Approved 4-0, to adjourn at 8:48PM

Obituary

Obituary Of Mary Louise Todd Beveridge

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Mary Louise Todd Beveridge, age 98, a former resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, and more recently of Olathe, Kansas, passed away Friday, March 1, 2024, at her home in Olathe.

She was born February 19, 1926, at Pittsburg, Kansas, the daughter of Isaac H. Todd and Hallie Swett Todd.  Mary was a graduate of Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, Ft. Scott Junior College and Pittsburg State University.  She also did graduate work at the University of Kansas.

On graduating college, Mary was employed as society editor for the Ft. Scott Tribune.  She later worked for USD #234 and then as assistant library director for Ft. Scott Community College.  She retired in May of 1992 and moved to Olathe to be near her family.

Mary was a past member of the First Presbyterian Church of Ft. Scott where she served as an elder.  She later became a member of the Village Presbyterian Church on Antioch in Overland Park, Kansas.  She was also a member of the American Library Association, the Greek societies, Phi Alpha Theta and Delta Kappa Gamma, and the American Association of University Women.  In earlier years in Ft. Scott, she had served as Vice-President of the Old Fort Historic Governing Board as well as the Bourbon County Historic Preservation Association.  Following her retirement, she volunteered her time to the Olathe Public Library and the Harmony Public School of Overland Park.

 

Survivors include her son, John Beveridge of Overland Park, Kansas, a grandson Christopher D. Beveridge and wife, Moria and a great-grandson, Callan Beveridge all of Shawnee, Kansas.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Melvin O. Beveridge who was Superintendent of Postal Operation in Ft. Scott for many years.

 

Graveside services will be held at the U. S. National Cemetery in Ft Scott at 11 a.m. on March 8, 2024.  Memorials are suggested to the Ft. Scott Community College Endowment Association, the First Presbyterian Church of Ft. Scott, the Village Presbyterian Church on Antioch in Overland Park, Kansas or any organization supporting nature conservation 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.

 

Obituary

Obituary of Lolita Mumbower

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Lolita Dawn Mumbower, age 59, a resident of Devon, Kansas, passed away unexpectedly Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at her home.  She was born March 16, 1964, in Ft. Scott, the daughter of Wayne Robinson and Rosalee Burch Robinson. Lolita married Delwin Mumbower on January 24, 1986, at Ft. Scott, Kansas.  In earlier years, Lolita had worked as a waitress, but the majority of her life was spent making a home for her family.  Lolita will be remembered for her friendly personality.  She loved spending time in the coffee shop making new friends.  She enjoyed doing many things; however, fishing was not one of them.  She will be dearly missed by her family and those who loved her.

 

Survivors include her husband, Delwin, of the home; three children, Cody Mumbower (Mary) of Fulton, Kansas, Kara Mumbower of Devon, Kansas and Krista Wyatt (Shawn) of Ft. Scott and sixteen grandchildren, Madalynn, Mason, Miranda, Meredith, Molly, Marshall, Montgomery, Micah, Martin, Emilee, Elijah, Bradyn, Blayce, Bricyn, Blaetyn, and Paisley with another grandchild expected to arrive in August.  Also surviving are two bonus grandchildren, Marla and Glynda.  Lolita was preceded in death by her parents and an infant granddaughter, Kamrynn.

 

Pastor Randy Smith will conduct funeral services at 10:30 A.M. Tuesday, March 12th at the Cheney Witt Chapel.  Burial will follow in the Centerville Cemetery.  The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 P.M. Monday at the Cheney Witt Chapel.  Memorials are suggested to Care to Share 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.

Bourbon County

Bo Co Coalition Minutes of March 6

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Bourbon County Inter-Agency Coalition

General Membership Meeting Minutes

 

March 6, 2024

 

 

  1. Welcome:  Eighteen members representing fourteen agencies attended.  Billie Jo announced that swim pass applications would be available during the month of April at The Beacon and Buck Run Community Center.

 

  1. Member Introductions and Announcements:
  • Kathy Romero, Angels Care Home Health: At present the organization provides services to about fifty clients in Bourbon County
  • Travis Wilcoxen, Angels Care Home Health: Angels Care has been in Bourbon County since 2004; they offer a variety of in-home skilled nursing care including psychiatric.
  • Nick Johnson, USD 234: The monthly preschool screening will be held on March 22.  Kindergarten round-up is scheduled for April 10; preschool round-up will be April 12.  Contact USD 234 for more information.
  • DeeDee LeFever, Community Liaison for Greenbush: Her job is to connect families with services.
  • Patty Simpson, Fort Scott Housing Authority: FSHA manages 190 low-income apartments; currently the waiting list is from 3-6 months for all size apartments, but they are always taking applications.
  • David Gillen, Beacon: In February, the Beacon assisted 232 families which included 468 individuals.
  • Lea Kay Karleskint, K-State Research and Extension: She is partnering with Lisa Robertson, COPE, to start a small class to help newly housed individuals with cooking skills; in April she will begin working with the Core Communities to provide nutrition education.  Contact Lea Kay at K-State Research to explore the class opportunities she provides.
  • Shanna Willey, Community Health Worker, CHC SEK: Shanna is available to help clients with applications for Medicaid, prescription assistance, disability, LIEAP, etc.
  • Lora Wilson, CHC: Lora is the director for the Tobacco Cessation program; contact her if you need help becoming tobacco free.
  • Janice Lamb, Core communities: Core communities meets Monday evenings at 5:30 at the Methodist Church for a meal, and then hold classes to help core leaders understand all areas of poverty.  The curriculum comes from “Bridges Out of Poverty.”  Graduation for the first Core Communities class will be April 22 at the Methodist Church.
  • Stephanie Herring, Family Resource Center: Stephanie works in homes, mostly with parents rather than the children, to lower the possibility of child abuse or neglect.
  • Larry Jump, Community Liaison with SEK CAP: SEK CAP is looking for employees in the Bourbon County office, especially a lead teacher assistant.  Contact Larry for further information.
  • Lindsey McNeil, COPE and KU: Lindsey is currently working on a grant with Rachel Carpenter, HBCAT, for drug prevention; they need volunteers to help with this program.
  • Lisa Robertson, CHC COPE: The COPE grant funding ends on May 31; they will continue seeing clients until that time.  COPE was able to get six homeless people housed during the last few weeks.  They have a new partnership with Spark Wheel at Uniontown.  The   Wash Wednesdays program will be able to continue with assistance from Aetna.
  • Angela Handly, Compassionate Ministries, Salvation Army: Angela has taken Allen Schellack’s position with these organizations.  She took time to review the services she can provide and reminded members that her office is at 26 N. Main.

 

  1. Program:  Teri Hamilton, President, Fort Scott Farmers’ Market, presented our program.

 

It is only the farmer who faithfully plants seeds in the Spring who reaps a harvest in the Autumn.

 

The Farmer’s Market will be in the new community pavilion beginning this year; the pavilion was funded with a T-Mobile grant and other donations.  Anyone can reserve the pavilion through the Fort Scott City offices.  Farmers’ Market operates from the first week in May through the last week in October on Saturdays and Tuesdays.

 

This year the Farmers’ Market will be accepting SNAP benefits in support of local nutrition.  SNAP dollars will only be able to be used for food and food related items.  Through a grant, a person will be hired to manage the snap booth during the hours of the Farmers’ Market.

 

Venders can set up a booth for $5.00 each week.  Potential venders need to contact Teri in order to be approved to have a booth.  There are also fundraising opportunities through the Farmers’ Market organization.  There are twenty-four planned booth spaces under the pavilion now, but that can be expanded to thirty-six if the need arises.  There are many special events that will be scheduled in conjunction with the Farmers’ Market such as Breakfast on the Bricks, the Children’s Business Fair, K-State Research projects/programs, The National Historic Site, etc.

 

  1. Open Forum:  Billie Jo reminded members that LIEAP applications will close at the end of the month.

 

  1. Adjournment:  The next General Membership meeting will be April 3, 2024.

 

Bourbon County, Schools, Sports, Youth

St.Martin’s Academy Rugby Players: David VS Goliath Story

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The St. Martin’s Academy Rugby Team.Top, from left to right: Finn Burch, Prosper Owen, Will Van De Ryt, Robbie Ritson, Joseph Moleski (Captain), Benedict Sullivan (Co-Captain), Berkely Nordhus, Ben Walsh, Colin Egger.
Bottom, from left to right: Sam Egger, Ben Skinner, Patrick Mulholland, Peter McDonald, Ethan Blakie, Liam Pluta. Submitted photo.

Saint Martin’s Academy is a Catholic boarding school for boys that combines classical academics with a practical work program on a sustainable farm. and is located southwest of Fort Scott.

It seems they have some athletes as well.

“We are the reigning Kansas State Rugby Champions, ” said school headmaster Daniel Kerr. ” Currently, we are ranked #9 in the country for all schools of any size according to the Goff Rugby Report.”

Saint Martin’s Academy rugby players, the Kingfishers, beat the Thomas Aquinas Saints, Overland Park, who had won state the previous 14 years in a row in May 2023.
“We are currently 9-1, having already defeated three reigning state champions: Missouri Champion SLUH (St. Louis University High School) by a score of 34-17; Pennsylvania Champs Gregory the Great by a score of 47-3; Tennessee Champs Germantown by a score of 44-7,” Kerr said.  “We will play reigning Oklahoma State Champs Bixby on March 16th on our home field.  Our one loss was to the #3 ranked Club Team, Woodlands by a score of 8-15.”
“We received … an invitation this year, a couple of weeks ago, from the governing body of USA Rugby and will be headed to Elkhart, Indiana to compete against the best teams in the country from May 23rd-25th,” Kerr said.  “Nearly all the teams there will be from schools with several thousand students.  For us to be in that league having only 68  students total is an extraordinary accomplishment.  Most of the teams will have more boys in their rugby program than we have in our entire school body.  It’s a true Hoosiers story – David vs. Goliath.”
The athletes ages are from 14-18, and are all students at St. Martin’s.

“To be a rugby player at St. Martin’s Academy is to be part of something larger than yourself,” said Coach John Prezzia.  “It’s to be a band of brothers; a small group of young men united in the forge of intense battle amongst each other, where they are truly, ‘ironing sharpening iron’. This creates a bond amongst them that is so tight, that every one of them is completely willing to sacrifice all of himself for the sake of each brother next to him, and the team as a whole”

“This unity of purpose and toughness is how we continually punch above our weight, and with only 68 boys total enrolled at the school, we can compete with the very best teams in the country,” he said. “We have just been invited to the National Tournament…and are currently in the planning and fundraising phase. The boys have worked unbelievably hard to get to this level, and are incredibly excited to compete with the best.”

We got the invite last Tuesday, and when I announced it to the boys, they just about brought the house down with their hooting and hollering,” Prezzia said. “It was a pretty special way to kick off this journey to try and bring a Rugby National Title back to Fort Scott.”

 

The St. Martin’s Academy Rugby Team prays before playing. Submitted.
John Prezzia has been the head coach of the Kingfishers, since 2022.
He was the assistant rugby coach at Gregory the Great Academy in Elmhurst, PA before taking the helm as head coach for the Kingfishers in 2022, Kerr said.
Prezzia is a native of Pittsburg, PA, where he wrestled collegiately for Wisconsin.  He and his wife Michaela were married last summer and are expecting their first child in April.
About Rugby:
“Rugby, a “barbarian’s sport played by gentlemen”, was invented in Rugby, England in 1823 when William Webb Ellis picked up a soccer ball and ran with it,” Kerr said.  “It is the progenitor of American football.  For example, the name ‘touchdown’ comes from the rule in rugby where you have to physically touch the ball down in the endzone for the score to count.  Rugby combines the fluidity and continuous play of soccer with the physicality and roughness of American football.  There are 15 players on the field and like soccer, they play both offense and defense as the ball changes possession.  Like American football, the aim is to carry the ball across the opponents goal line and touch the ball down in the opponents end-zone or ‘try zone’.  A ‘touchdown’ is called a ‘try’ in Rugby.  A try is worth 5 points and the subsequent conversion kick is worth 2 points.”
Government, Kansas

Bourbon County is Still In Drought Watch

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Governor Kelly Updates Declaration of Drought Emergency, Warnings, and Watches for Kansas Counties

 

TOPEKA — Governor Laura Kelly has approved updated drought declarations for Kansas counties with Executive Order #24-01.

“While drought conditions have improved greatly in recent months, many counties continue to be negatively impacted by the decline in water supply or strains on water resources,” said Governor Laura Kelly. “I strongly encourage all Kansans to continue to conserve water as we head into the summer months.”

The drought declaration removed all 55 counties previously in emergency status and placed 15 counties into warning status and 62 into watch status. This action was recommended by Connie Owen, Director of the Kansas Water Office and Chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team. While a majority of Kansas has seen significant relief from drought since August, central and southeast Kansas continue to be in Severe Drought.

“Counties in a watch status have conditions which indicate the probability of a water shortage is rising. It is important to monitor these conditions and be mindful of water usage in these counties,” said Owen. “The Governor’s Drought Response Team will continue to monitor the drought conditions across Kansas and make recommendations to Governor Kelly as conditions change.”

This Executive Order shall remain in effect for those counties identified until rescinded by an Executive Order ending the declaration or revising the drought stage status of the affected counties.

 

Effective immediately, Executive Order #24-01:

 

  • Declares a Drought Emergency, Warning, or Watch for the counties as identified below;
  • Authorizes and directs all agencies under the jurisdiction of the Governor to implement the appropriate watch, warning, or emergency-level drought response actions assigned in the Operations Plan of the Governor’s Drought Response Team.

 

The Governor’s Drought Response Team will continue to watch the situation closely and work to minimize the negative drought-induced effects on Kansans.

For more detailed information about current conditions, visit the Climate and Drought webpage on the Kansas Water Office website at kwo.ks.gov.

County Drought Stage Declarations:

Drought Emergency:

 

Drought Warning: Chautauqua, Clay, Dickinson, Elk, Graham, Harvey, Jewell, McPherson, Mitchell, Montgomery, Osborne, Ottawa, Reno, Rice, Rooks, Wilson.

 

Drought Watch: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Cloud, Coffey, Cowley, Crawford, Decatur, Doniphan, Douglas, Ellis, Ellsworth, Franklin, Geary, Gove, Greenwood, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Kingman, Labette, Lane, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Miami, Morris, Nemaha, Neosho, Ness, Norton, Osage, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Rawlins, Republic, Riley, Russell, Saline, Sedgwick, Shawnee, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Thomas, Trego, Wabaunsee, Washington, Woodson, Wyandotte.

 

Bourbon County Local News