Are you grieving a loss? Find hope and healing after the death of a loved one by joining GriefShare, a weekly grief support group meeting at Community Christian Church in Fort Scott.
When: Tuesdays, 6–8 p.m., August 25 – November 17
Where: Community Christian Church, 1919 S. Horton St., Fort Scott, KS 66701
Contact: Jon Bailes — [email protected] | 620-224-3437
Register: griefshare.org/findagroup
Helgren, Raymond David Jr (Age 29) — Arrested 8/5/2026 7:03 PM by Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office. Charges: Expired Registration, Vehicle Liability Insurance Required, Operate a Motor Vehicle Without a Valid License, Possession of Certain Hallucinogenic Drugs, Use/Possession of Drug Paraphernalia/Human Body. Bond: $0.00 (No Bond).
Hall, Jeremy Steven — Released 8/5/2026 3:15 PM via Surety Bond (A Plus).
Jackson, Ontareo — Released 8/5/2026 11:39 AM via Transferred Out (DGCO).
Jefferson, Tyler — Released 8/5/2026 11:40 AM via Transferred Out (DGCO).
Jones, Kaide — Released 8/5/2026 8:34 PM via Transferred Out (Douglas County).
Mason, Tabetha L — Released 8/5/2026 3:58 PM via Surety Bond (A+ Bonding).
Redbird, Nathaniel C — Released 8/5/2026 11:38 AM via Transferred Out (DGCO).
Salazar, Joshua — Released 8/5/2026 11:41 AM via Transferred Out (DGCO).
Woolery, James Kenneth — Released 8/5/2026 3:48 PM via Surety Bond (A+ Bonding).
Total Inmates Released: 8
Documents:
Aug. 6, 2026
The Kansas Department of Transportation requests comments on the draft Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2027-2030 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) document.
The STIP is a project specific publication that lists all KDOT administered projects, regardless of funding source, and includes projects for counties and cities as well as projects on the State Highway System. The draft STIP document is available for review online at https://www.ksdot.gov/about/publications-and-reports/state-transportation-improvement-program-stip. Select the draft FFY 2027-2030 STIP link at the top of the page.
The approval of the STIP requires a public comment period of 30 days, which concludes on Sept. 4. To make comments on the draft STIP, contact KDOT’s Division of Program and Project Management at 785-296-2252.
This information is available in alternative accessible formats. To obtain an alternative format, contact the KDOT Division of Communications, 785-296-3585 (Voice/Hearing Impaired-711).
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce invites you!
Get ready for 2 days of shopping, savings, and local fun during Shop Fort Scott Tax-Free Weekend!
August 7–8th
⏰ Per store hours @ participating locations Downtown & Around Fort Scott
Friday & Saturday, participating Fort Scott businesses will pay the 9.65% sales tax for shoppers. It is a great opportunity to pick up back-to-school clothing, books, gifts, furniture, food, home items, and a few special finds while supporting businesses in our community.
Pick up an event rack card at a participating business, then:
Gather your shopping crew, make your list, and enjoy two days of shopping close to home. Every purchase helps support the local businesses that make Fort Scott a wonderful place to live, work, and shop!
The Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce an opportunity for shoppers to save money while supporting local businesses. Friday, August 7th and Saturday, August 8th, select retailers will participate in the Shop Fort Scott Sales Tax Holiday Weekend by offering shoppers a 9.65% discount while continuing to collect and remit all applicable sales tax.
Participating merchants include 110 South Main Mercantile, Barbed Wire & Roses, Be The Light Boutique, Better In Bourbon, Blissful Meadows Boutique, Eternal Grace Boutique, Hedgehog Books, Laree + Co., Midwest Runway, Papa Don’s Pizza, Ruddick’s Furniture, Shirt Shack, Sunshine Boutique, and The Market at 23 Main. Special considerations include that the discount at Ruddick’s Furniture applies to the first $500 of a purchase, while the discount at The Market at 23 Main applies to apparel only.
Shoppers may also enter to win $50 in Chamber Bucks. To qualify, shoppers must spend at least $5 at three participating businesses and have their event rack card marked at each location. Completed cards should be turned in at the third participating business visited to be entered into the drawing.
Participating businesses offer a wide variety of merchandise, including apparel, home décor, new and repurposed furniture, school supplies, pizza, and much more. With most participating businesses located in Fort Scott’s Downtown Historic District, shoppers can enjoy a convenient weekend of shopping while supporting local businesses throughout the community.
Save money. Shop local. Shop Fort Scott.
The Shop Fort Scott Sales Tax Holiday Weekend is organized by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce. For more information, contact the Chamber at (620) 223-3566 or visit fortscott.com.
Click HERE to visit the Shop Fort Scott Tax-Free Weekend Facebook Event Page!
The annual local grant application cycle benefiting the Bourbon County community has begun.
The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation (FSACF) began on August 1, and those who wish to apply must submit applications by August 31.
“Eligible organizations are 501c3 charitable organizations, nonprofit educational institutions, government entities, and nonprofit religious organizations that serve Fort Scott and Bourbon County,” said the marketing chairman Becky Tourtillott.
“We consider projects based on how they improve the quality of life for Bourbon County residents, with particular interest in projects that are collaborative, and sustainable for the future.
“Over the past few years, we have awarded anywhere between $40,000 and $75,000 in grants depending on the performance of our investment funds and the projects submitted, as some of our grant funding is earmarked for specific types of projects.”
Applications are submitted online through the FSACF website, //FSACF.com/Grant-App, where grant guidelines, application materials, and resources for grant writers are available, according to a press release.
Applications received during August will be reviewed throughout September, with grant awards announced mid-October.
“Community foundation grants have helped strengthen Bourbon County by supporting projects that address local needs and create lasting benefits for our residents,” said Gregg Motley, FSACF Grants Committee Chairman. “Over the years, we’ve seen these investments help organizations expand services, improve facilities, and bring people together around common goals. We encourage applicants to think beyond immediate needs and consider how their projects can create sustainable, long-term impact for our communities.”
Organizations interested in applying are encouraged to visit the FSACF website early in the application period to review eligibility requirements and available grant-writing resources.
For more information about the grant program, application guidelines, or eligibility requirements, visit the Fort Scott Area Community Foundation website or contact the foundation directly.
About Fort Scott Area Community Foundation
The Fort Scott Area Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Fort Scott and Bourbon County by connecting donors with community needs. Through charitable funds established by individuals, families, businesses, and organizations, FSACF provides grants and resources that support local nonprofits and community initiatives. Since 2007, the foundation has awarded more than $500,000 in competitive grants to benefit the communities it serves.
“Jess Ervin is our newly-elected Chairman of the Board, so he would be our main official contact for the foundation, and then Gregg Motley would be the official contact for the granting process, as he chairs our grant committee,” Tourtillott said.
The current board of directors include Ervin, Motley, Brad Matkin, Ronda Hassig, Diana Endicott, Jordan Witt, Gary Cullor, Matthew Hunt, Dean Striler, Kenny Felt, Marla Heckman, and Bailey Lyons.
On Friday, Sen. Jerry Moran joined Greg Akagi on WIBW Ag Radio and Chip Flory on AgriTalk to discuss the latest developments on the Farm Bill with the markup scheduled for this Thursday in the Senate Agriculture Committee and the importance of advancing priorities critical to Kansas agriculture. When he meets with Kansas farmers and ranchers, he hears firsthand about the challenges they are facing, including high input costs, ongoing drought conditions and uncertainty in the agriculture economy. Passing this legislation will provide certainty for rural America and Kansas farmers and ranchers.
As a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, Sen. Moran has worked to make certain the Farm Bill includes priorities that strengthen Kansas agriculture, and he is working to include his legislation to permanently transfer the administration of the Food for Peace program from the Department of State to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This legislation also includes a number of provisions that will benefit producers and rural communities in Kansas, such as:
You can listen to Sen. Moran’s interviews on Agri-Talk and WIBW Ag Radio.
This week, Sen. Moran introduced bipartisan legislation with Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) to expand access to federal resources for rural hospitals through the Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Medicare designation. The legislation, the Rural Emergency Hospital Designation Improvement Act (REH 2.0), would allow more Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) and rural hospitals at risk of closure to sustain health care services in rural communities, and it would make technical improvements to strengthen the designation.
Sen. Moran worked to help establish the REH designation through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021, providing eligible rural hospitals with a pathway to convert and continue serving their communities with limited services rather than closing their doors. He has visited every hospital in Kansas numerous times, and during these visits, providers shared their recommendations for strengthening the designation so it can better support the struggling health care facilities it was originally intended to serve.
The legislation introduced this week is the direct result of what Sen. Moran has heard from rural hospitals and providers in Kansas, and it makes needed improvements to the program to help make certain patients can continue to access critical health care services in their communities for years to come.
You can read more about the legislation from the Topeka Capital-Journal.
STILL TIME TO JOIN! Learn more about the ARTEFFECT Summer Art Competition, Innovation Generation, open to students in grades 9–12! A free Info Session is being held via Zoom:
Wednesday, August 5, 4:00–5:00 PM PT
The session will explore the Unsung Heroes who were innovators, tips for submitting, award categories, and more. Hear from previously participating young artists and educators! Bring your questions! Free to join — registration required.
The 2026 Summer Competition, open through September 15, 2026, offers multiple awards totaling over $20,000 in financial prizes. No submission can win more than one award or prize. Free to enter. Read the FAQs for more details about eligibility.
27 young artists were chosen as Certificate of Excellence awardees, creating artworks about Unsung Heroes from many different eras and professions. This spotlight features 5 Certificate of Excellence awardees with projects honoring women in STEAM who worked in the ocean.
Three students were inspired by ethnobotanist Dr. Isabella Aiona Abbott:
Vlada Stinerman, a 12th grade student from Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley, California, working with ARTEFFECT Ambassador 2025–26 Emily Bittner, sculpted A Dive Through Reality, inspired by marine biologist Dr. Sylvia Earle.
Tina Zhao, an 11th grade student from Forest Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bellevue, Washington, working with Jihoon Lee, won for The Unextinguishable Deep, honoring ichthyologist Dr. Eugenie Clark.
Congratulations to these students and all 2026 ARTEFFECT Awardees! View all 2026 winners.
ARTEFFECT Ambassadors is an online fellowship for educators working directly with students in grades 6–12 to foster the visual arts. Ambassadors learn alongside other high-level practitioners through visual arts-focused, project-based lessons centered on the inspiring and diverse stories of Unsung Heroes from history.
Applications due Monday, September 14 at 11:59 PM Pacific Time.
Learn more and apply. | Register for the Ambassador Info Session.
Meet 2025–2026 Ambassador Mary Anderson, a Visual Arts Teacher at La Salle High School in Pasadena, California.
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 Mary’s Capstone Project report:
“Students really were moved by their LMC Unsung Heroes and I think giving them total freedom of choice helped with that. They really felt passionate about their stories.”
Congratulations to Mary and her students at La Salle High School for your inspiring ARTEFFECT projects! Read more about Mary’s capstone project.
Congratulations to Mary’s students for being selected as Finalists in the 2026 ARTEFFECT annual competition!
Be sure to follow ARTEFFECT on these platforms for announcements, news, professional development, resources, and more!
For inquiries, contact: [email protected]
Aug. 4, 2026
Work on current K-7 improvements between K-39 and U.S. 69 in Bourbon County will require some daytime closures of roads crossing the highway, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
K-7 remains closed to through traffic because of the project, but these closures will involve the streets and roads that cross K-7. These daytime closures allow the contractor to work on the road base and start pouring asphalt. Please find an alternate route during daytime hours.
Some closures – 160th Street, 180th Street, 200th Street and 210th Street – have already started and will wrap up after daytime work hours today, Tuesday, Aug. 4.
On Wednesday through Friday, Aug. 5 to 7, 170th Street, Eagle Road, Fern Road and Grand Road will be closed during daytime hours for the same work.
These intersections will reopen to traffic overnight and during times that work is not occurring. No two adjacent side roads will be closed simultaneously.
APAC-Kansas Inc., Shears Division, of Hutchinson, is the primary contractor.
KDOT urges motorists to stay alert, follow posted signs and refrain from hand-held mobile device use in all active work zones. For current road conditions, visit kandrive.gov or call 511. For updates on construction projects in southeast Kansas, visit ksdot.gov/projects/southeast-kansas-projects.
Larry Evan Smith, age 66, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away Friday, July 31, 2026, at the Medicalodge of Ft. Scott. He was born November 13, 1959, in St. Mary’s Georgia, the son of Percy Smith and Wilda June Lowe Smith. Throughout his life, Larry had worked in the construction industry. Following his retirement, he relocated to Ft. Scott where he has made his home for the last several years. Larry had attended the Mapleton Christian Church and had fully surrendered his life to Christ.
Pastor Matthew Hamilton will conduct a graveside service at 10:00 A.M. Thursday, August 6th at the Oak Grove Cemetery north of Ft. Scott. Arrangements are under the direction of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, Ft. Scott, Kansas.
The Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees will hold a Special Board Meeting on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in the Ellis Fine Arts Building on the Fort Scott Community College campus.
Fort Scott Community College Board of Trustees Special Meeting
Ellis Fine Arts Center — August 6, 2026, 2:00 p.m.
Documents:
Cole, Michael Dugan (Age 62) — Arrested 8/4/2026 1:20 PM by Bourbon County Sheriff’s Office. Charge: Warrant – Bourbon County (Failure to Appear). Bond: $5,000.00 Cash/Surety.
Hall, Jeremy Steven (Age 44) — Arrested 8/4/2026 5:42 PM by Fort Scott Police Department. Charges: Criminal Threat – Unknown Circumstance, Disorderly Conduct – Unknown Circumstance. Bond: No Bond.
Greer, Christopher — Released 8/4/2026 2:17 AM via Cash Bond (Self).
Perry, Darrick Lawrence — Released 8/4/2026 8:31 AM via KDOC (KDOC Transfer).
Total Inmates Released: 2
Documents:
