News

Citizens were able to voice their concerns on Sept. 15 during a public hearing to discuss city of Fort Scott’s plan to extend the existing runway south of Indian Road. That means the road would be closed and a new route would be established. The meeting was led by Diane Hofer and Tony Baumert, representing Olsson and Associates, the engineering firm hired to conduct the planning study for the project. ...

County officials and health professionals from the region discussed the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the local health system during a special meeting of the Bourbon County Commission on Wednesday. The meeting took place in the county’s emergency management building. ...

Fort Scott City Manager Dave Martin announced his retirement during a special Fort Scott City Commission meeting Wednesday. His last day will be Oct. 30. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story.

Changes in economic development for Bourbon County are in the works. According to Gregg Motley, member of the Bourbon County Economic Development Council, Inc., board of trustees, the nonprofit organization’s board is restructuring and expanding, and has several goals to help improve economic development efforts in Bourbon County...

Fort Scott City Commissioners on Tuesday agreed to amend its parking limit ordinance for Main street. The ordinance will be drafted and ready for final approval at the Nov. 3 meeting. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story...

Fort Scott Community College students with concerns about how their scholarship money was handled took the issue to the FSCC Board of Trustees Monday night. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story.

Candidates for the U.S. Congress, state legislature and local offices in the Nov. 3 election gathered at Memorial Hall Thursday evening to participate in the candidate forum sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story...

An update on the COVID-19 situation in Bourbon County spurred discussion on health protocols and recommendations during a special meeting of the Bourbon County Commission on Thursday. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story...

Advanced voting will begin Monday at the Bourbon County Courthouse. Voters may cast their ballots from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Advanced voting will end at noon Monday, Nov. 2. The polls will open for voting from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3...

The investigation of current and former city of Fort Scott employees continues and, according to Bourbon County Sheriff Bill Martin, is a slow process. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story.

Bourbon County Commissioners on Tuesday boosted the ambulance fleet for the Bourbon County Emergency Medical Services. Commissioners approved the purchase of a new ambulance, and also heard an update on financials for the EMS service, which officials with the county and city worked to put together after the closure of Mercy Hospital in December 2018. The service began operating in early 2019...

When a need arose for the Fort Scott Fire Department, several community volunteers — including two with a spiritual message — stepped up to help. In recent weeks, volunteers from the community have been working to re-paint fire hydrants within the city. Deputy Fire Chief Michael Miles said there are about 600 hydrants located within the city limits and the Fort Scott Industrial Park. Work to re-paint the hydrants began in September and will continue until the weather gets colder, Miles said...

The Beacon has faced its share of challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, but staff have been working to make changes to adapt and grow for the future. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story.

Grants were a topic of several discussion items during the Fort Scott City Commission meeting Tuesday evening as the commission approved participation, application, award and acceptance of various grants. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story...

Bourbon County announces 33 confirmed cases at the Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center. This includes 24 inmates and 8 correctional officers and one deputy. Testing for all residents and staff was completed Tuesday. The Bourbon County Law Enforcement Center officials have been in consultation with officials from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) on next steps to address these circumstances. As a result of that consultation with KDHE, the following steps were implemented:...

Bourbon County Commissioners learned Tuesday the county’s phase one funding plan for the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) grant has been approved by the state of Kansas. Monica Murnan, representing the Southeast Kansas Education Service Center in Greenbush, reported the State Office of Recovery has approved the county’s plan and the next step will be to begin organizing release of funds to businesses and organizations that will receive a portion of the $2.9 million in CARES Act funds the county received to help provide relief during the COVID-19 pandemic.. ...

During separate special meetings Friday, the USD 234 Board of Education approved the purchase of laptop computers for students, and a memorandum of understanding for funds received through the Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK) grant...

Fort Scott City Commissioner held a special meeting Monday to approve an applicant for a Kansas Housing Resource Center Moderate Income Housing grant. The vote was split 3-2 as some commissioners questioned the city’s timing for announcing the grant opportunity...

A group of citizens brought their concerns with control over local health protocols to the Bourbon County Commission on Tuesday. Richard Goldston, citizen and parent, said he was representing a group of parents of students in the USD 234 district. He said more than 180 people have signed a petition regarding who makes health decisions in Bourbon County...

Fort Scott Community College currently has three confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, FSCC officials confirmed on Monday. During the FSCC Board of Trustees meeting, FSCC Vice President of Student Affairs Tom Havron updated trustees on the college’s current COVID-19 figures, as well as how college officials are managing operations during the pandemic...

Fort Scott City Commissioners held a special meeting Monday morning to take care of business rescheduled from the Tuesday, Sept. 15 meeting, which was cancelled due to lack of a quorum. The cancellation drew discussion from Commissioner Kevin Allen, who said he had attended a public hearing at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at City Hall. The regular commission meeting was scheduled for 6 p.m. at Buck Run Community Center...

With students in both county school districts back in classes, some are facing quarantine either due to contact or having a confirmed case of coronavirus. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story.

Not only are students and teachers at Uniontown USD 235 settling in to a year of changes due to the coronavirus pandemic, junior and senior high students and staff are also entering the launch of the Kansas Can School Redesign project. On Monday, Junior and Senior High School Principal Mike Reith reported on the redesign project...

Continued improvement of the county’s infrastructure was a much-discussed topic during Tuesday’s Bourbon County Commission meeting. Bourbon County Emergency Manager William Wallis provided a progress report for commissioners on the status of flooding that took place in April through July 2019 in the county, and Federal Emergency Management assistance. Wallis and Commissioner Jeff Fischer talked about work that has already been completed, as well as creating a mitigation plan for the future...

A Fort Scott City Commission meeting planned for Tuesday night was cancelled due to a lack of quorum. The meeting was scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. One attendee said the meeting was called 10 minutes later. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story...

Bourbon County officials are not yet in the stage of dispersing money from the $2.9 million in CARES Act funds the county has received to help businesses and organizations with relief from the COVID-19 pandemic. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story...

A body found in Lake Fort Scott Monday afternoon is suspected to be that of a missing Fort Scott man, according to the Fort Scott Police Department. On Sunday, information was given to responders indicating Raymond Harper, 19, had been kayaking in the lake and could not be found. Harper’s kayak was recovered by friends, however they had not been able to locate Harper, the release said...

A large U.S. flag hangs off the ladder of a Fort Scott fire truck, which is parked next to a Fort Scott Police Department squad car and Bourbon County EMS ambulance in recognition of Patriot Day on Friday. Patriot Day is held each year in remembrance of the 2,977 people killed in the Sept. ...

A campaign to raise awareness and funds for masks in USD 234 and USD 235 kicked off Sept. 8. During a community COVID-19 task force meeting in August, a request was made by Kayla Stewart, RN at Ascension Via Christi, to organize a mask awareness campaign. The campaign, called Bourbon County Strong, is a collaboration between both school districts and Via Christi. It includes fund raising and awareness efforts designed to provide students with their own masks...

USD 234 Superintendent Ted Hessong updated the USD 234 Board of Education on the district’s return-to-school plan and first day of school during a special board meeting Wednesday evening at Fort Scott Middle School. “The first day of school overall went pretty well,” Hessong told the Tribune Thursday. “I’m glad we had the time to get ready, with postponing the date.”...

The Fort Scott City Commission will hold a public hearing Tuesday evening to discuss the proposed Fort Scott Municipal Airport expansion project. The hearing, which begins at 5 p.m., will be held at City Hall. The regular city commission meeting will be held at 6 p.m. at Buck Run Community Center...

Bourbon County Commissioners have filled two open county positions and look to begin interviews this week for two positions in the public works department. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story.

Comments made by a citizen during Tuesday’s Fort Scott City Commission meeting opened the door for a lengthy discussion on legal fees and demand letters. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story.

The Bourbon County Republican Central Committee appointed Clifton Beth to fill a vacant seat on the Bourbon County Commission during a special meeting Thursday evening at Gunn Park. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story.

According to officials who spoke at the Fort Scott City Commission Tuesday night, the city has done nothing wrong in regards to paying for the demolition of the Stout Building at 1st Street and National Avenue in 2019. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story...

A motion to expand the boundaries of the Jayhawk Wind Energy project died during Tuesday’s Bourbon County Commission meeting. Following a discussion with project representatives, Commission Chairman Lynne Oharah made a motion to amend the road use agreement the county has for the project to include the proposed expansion areas. After a pause, the motion died for lack of a second...

The inclusion of a payment from the city to demolish the Stout Building at East 1st and National Avenue as part of the Union Block Lofts project was the topic of lengthy discussion at the Fort Scott City Commission meeting Tuesday evening. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story...

The Kansas Attorney Genera’s Office has decided former and present Fort Scott city commissioners did not violate the Kansas Open Meetings Act when they signed their names to a letter challenging Kevin “Skitch” Allen’s residency when he ran for office in 2019...