News

Earline Foster talks to her neighbors at Presbyterian Manor about the quilts she has made. She was assisted Friday afternoon by her son, Steven Wulz of Texas, and Judy Davis, Presbyterian Manor staff.

City officials on Tuesday updated Fort Scott City Commissioners on the local health care situation after changes were put in place following the Dec. 31 closure of Mercy Hospital Fort Scott. City Manager Dave Martin said steps taken toward changes in health care started with the Oct. ...

Legislation authored by U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., if passed by Congress, would modify the boundaries of the Fort Scott National Historic Site to include the Lunette Blair Civil War Block House. On Feb. 12, Moran announced the Fort Scott National Historic Site Boundary Modification Act was included in S.47, the Natural Resources Management Act, a package of more than 100 bills relating to public lands, natural resources and water projects...

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., stopped in Fort Scott Tuesday to discuss issues on the minds of local residents, which included concerns about healthcare in rural areas, veterans’ programs, federal government policies and the recent government shutdown...

Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou provided Fort Scott City Commissioners on Tuesday with more information about the fire department’s need for two new fire trucks. Director of Finance Rhonda Dunn also provided details on the process for financing the purchase of a new pumper truck and an aerial ladder truck for the department. Estimated total cost to purchase the two trucks is $1,751,748...

A winter storm blew into the area Friday, bringing snow mixed with sleet throughout the day. Uniontown High School to reschedule its Homecoming game ahead of the storm, from Friday night to Thursday night. Fort Scott schools dismissed early Friday. There is a slight chance of freezing rain Saturday, followed by a couple of days of better weather before snow returns on Tuesday...

Students in Fort Scott High School will have different choices when it comes to gcourse offerings next year. The board of éducation on Monday approved some course changes and changes in graduation requirements at the recommendation See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story...

Bourbon County Commissioners on Tuesday were asked to clarify how bills are paid for jail expenses and also the amount budgeted for jail staff wages. Sheriff Bill Martin and Jail Administrator Bobby Reed met with commissioners and invited Terry Sercer, CPA with Diehl Banwart and Bolton, who assists the county with its budget...

A ceremony to official kick off a tri-county bicycle trail project was held Tuesday in the Bourbon County Courthouse lobby. Officials from Bourbon, Allen and Crawford County attended the event. The ABC Trail, when completed, will connect Allen, Bourbon and Crawford counties along existing roads...

On Tuesday, the Uniontown USD 235 district began searching for a new junior and senior high principal. The search began the morning after board of education members accepted the resignation of Mark Calvin, effective June 15, which is the end of his contract...

Among employment items the USD 234 Board of Education approved on Monday include the resignation of Fort Scott Middle School Principal Brian Weilert, and the promotion of Bo Graham to head football coach at Fort Scott High School. See the print or online edition of the Tribune for complete story...

The Fort Scott Police Department has not released further details on an alleged shooting that took place Saturday afternoon at a local residence. FSPD officers responded about 12:07 p.m. Saturday to a residence at 1120 E. Oak St., after receiving reports of a disturbance and a male individual with a gun, Fort Scott Police Chief Travis Shelton told the Tribune Saturday afternoon. ...

The Fort Scott Police Department is investigating an alleged shooting that took place Saturday afternoon at a local residence. Officers responded about 12:07 p.m. Saturday to a residence at 1120 E. Oak St., after receiving reports of a disturbance and a male individual with a gun, Fort Scott Police Chief Travis Shelton told the Tribune Saturday afternoon. FSPD officers, Bourbon County Sheriff's Office deputies and Fort Scott Fire Department personnel responded to the scene...

An ice storm Wednesday night struck Bourbon County and Southeast Kanasas, leaving a coating of three-fourths of an inch of ice. Classes at local districts, the Fort Scott Community College campus and several businesses closed and several activities and meetings were canceled Thursday. ...

The Healthy Bourbon County Action Team shared with Bourbon County Commissioners Tuesday plans for making the county a healthier place to live by implementing a county-wide tobacco cessation program. Public Health Nurse Alice Maffett, along with members of the Healthy Bourbon County team, Lora Holdridge and Shane Walker, met with the commissioners...

City officials on Tuesday took the first early steps toward the purchase of two new fire trucks for the Fort Scott Fire Department. During the Fort Scott City Commission meeting, commissioners and city officials discussed financial aspects of the purchase of a new pumper truck and an aerial ladder truck for the department, which Fort Scott Fire Chief Paul Ballou said are needed to update a fleet with aging vehicles that have caused problems...

A pair of legislators met with constituents for coffee Saturday at the Empress Event Center in Fort Scott. Topics of the meeting ranged from legislation being introduced to funding for education and Kansas Public Employees Retirement System and Medicare and KanCare expansion...

Even though the contract between Bourbon County and Mercy for EMS expires March 31, the transition to a county-city owned service is underway. On Tuesday, county commissioners received an update from Christi Keating, who has been chosen as the EMS director...

A familiar Fort Scott face has stepped into a new role as executive director of the Gordon Parks Museum at Fort Scott Community College. Kirk Sharp, a Fort Scott native with several years of community involvement, officially started in the position Jan. 7. The FSCC Board of Trustees approved Sharp’s hiring, among other employments, at the board’s regular meeting Monday...

A discussion during the Jan. 11 meeting of the Uniontown USD 235 Board of Education was about the possibility of using a district building for a medical clinic. The idea of bringing a medical clinic to the Uniontown area is something the Uniontown Ruritans have been discussing for a while...

Longtime Bourbon County Conservation Board of Supervisor Ronnie Brown was presented with a special award Saturday during the annual meeting and dinner of the Bourbon County Conservation District. The Banker's Award, Grassland Award, Water Quality Award, poster and essay contest winners were also announced...

An emergency room will be retained in Bourbon County, although there will be a lapse in service, according to a press release issued Tuesday by Ascension Via Christi of Pittsburg. “Ascension Via Christi has an agreement to operate Fort Scott’s former emergency room, diagnostic imaging and laboratory services, as soon as it can get regulatory approval to do so," a Via Christi press release states...

Fort Scott Community College Director of Nursing Jordan Howard provided the FSCC Board of Trustees with an update on the college’s nursing department Monday night. Howard reported on the results of a site visit conducted by the Kansas State Board of Nursing in September. Howard said the KSBN conducts site visits every eight to 10 years...

USD 234 officials on Tuesday began the process of gathering community feedback on the district’s mission to possibly reshape education for students. District officials, as well as some USD 234 Board of Education members and citizens attended the first of a series of community conversations the district is hosting through the end of the month. The first meeting took place in the commons area at Fort Scott High School...

Darrel George has several memories of his involvement with the Bourbon County Fair the last 60 years. His favorite memory? Meeting the woman who would become his wife in the 1970s. He and his wife, Laura, have been married for 41 years. George said Laura has been by his side through the years as he has continued his support of the fair...

The Fort Scott Tiger basketball teams played Bonner Springs Friday night for Homecoming. During the Homecoming ceremony, Miriam Mix and Nicholas Lawrence were crowned queen and king.

Lelah Marie Burgess, age 83, a former resident of Neosho, Mo., and Fort Scott, Kan., passed away Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, at the Pittsburg Health & Rehab Center in Pittsburg, Kan. She graduated from the Girard High School. While in high school where she was involved with the band and Glee Club. ...

Thomas Warren Davis received perhaps the surprise of a lifetime Jan. 15. The 98-year-old World War II veteran, who was born and raised in Redfield, was presented with a variety of long-awaited medals he earned for his service in the war. Davis served as a technician fourth grade, Battery B 979th Field Artillery Battalion for the U.S. Army...

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Lunch and Learn was held Monday, January 21 in the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center at Fort Scott Community College. Approximately 80 to 100 people were in attendance, including student athletes and members from the community and surrounding area...

Penny Louise Osborne, age 63, a resident of Mound City, Kan., passed away Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019, at the Denver International Airport in Denver, Colo. At the time of her death, Penny was traveling to Arizona to visit her daughter. Penny was born April 11, 1955, in Fort Scott, Kan., the daughter of Albert E. ...

The USD 234 Uniontown Board of Education has been asked to begin considering a new way of thinking about education. Superintendent Bret Howard asked the board to start thinking about a “redesign” for the district. In the future, there may be discussion with patrons, too...

Some Fort Scott High School thespians are learning how valuable the stage can be to their futures. Their performances at the Kansas State Thespian Festival held Jan. 3-5 in Wichita has led to auditions for colleges as well as the opportunity to perform at the International Thespians Festival in June...

A local business owner brought forth the idea of a joint city-county form of government to the Fort Scott City Commission Tuesday night. Mark McCoy, who spoke to the Bourbon County Commission Jan. 8 about the economic climate in Bourbon County, said he works with the Fort Scott Community Visioning Committee, a group that organized in 2007 with a focus on improving Fort Scott. McCoy’s remarks sparked discussion Tuesday on moving Fort Scott and Bourbon County into the future...

Fort Scott City street maintenance workers Jim Bedenbender, left, and Buzz Hawpe, roll up a pair of flags near H&H Agency. Each year, the flags along Skubitz Plaza are taken down and stored for the winter. They will be returned in March, according to Bedenbender. ...

Much discussion at Monday night’s meeting of the USD 234 Board of Education centered around response to a Friday visit by Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson. During a special board meeting Friday, Watson led a discussion about ideas for shaping education for Fort Scott students and preparing them for their future goals and careers. ...

The Bourbon County Commissioners on Tuesday signed a resolution, which will assist a group proceed with plans to create a tri-county trail system. Known as the ABC Trails, the bicycle trails will connect Allen, Bourbon and Crawford counties. Presenting the plan were Bourbon County Economic Development Director Jody Hoener, Allen County Economic Development Director Bill Maness, Live Well Crawford County Director Brad Stroud, Allen County bicyclist enthusiast Randy Rasa, and Bourbon County GIS, IT Coordinator Shane Walker.. ...

Phil Hammons’ dachshund, Roxy, sits on his lap as the longtime local realtor sits at his desk inside a quiet office and recalls a 40-plus year career in the local real estate business. Although Hammons, 74, has retired as of Dec. 31 and is in the process of closing down Hammons Realty Co., an agency that has been in his family for more than 50 years, he has still been popping in the office every day...

Ideas for shaping education for Fort Scott youth and preparing them for their future goals and careers were the focus of a special USD 234 Board of Education meeting Friday morning. Several school board members, as well as representatives of several local businesses and Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce members, city and county officials, attended the meeting at the board office. Leading the discussion was Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson, who visited Fort Scott...

Fort Scott High School is hosting the Kansas State Debate Tournament for Class 4-A and 3-2-1A schools. The tournament got underway Friday with an opening ceremony in the Fort Scott High School Auditorium. The competition continues today, beginning at 8 a.m. and the final round at 6:30 p.m. at Fort Scott High School and Fort Scott Middle School...

Will Eugene Cook, age 79, a resident of Fort Scott, Kan., passed away Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2019, at the Medicalodges of Fort Scott. He was born July 5, 1938, in Fort Scott, the son of Dee Cook and Clara Ellen Proctor Cook. Will had worked at various businesses throughout his life. ...

City officials are working on a solution following a recent announcement that a local supermarket plans to close its doors. A news release issued Monday by the city of Fort Scott said city officials learned Sunday the Price Chopper store, part of a redevelopment project at 2322 S. Main St., would soon be closing. Two other businesses included in the redevelopment district, called the Main Street Marketplace Subdivision, also plan to close...

Improving the economic climate in Bourbon County was the topic of the Tuesday afternoon discussion during the Bourbon County Commission meeting. Commissioners learned the county’s economic development director is preparing a survey for businesses and a business owner reported on work of the Fort Scott Community Visioning Committee and what individuals have learned from Wyandotte County. Commissioners also took comments from visitors who attended the meeting...

John Keating reported to the station for the final time Friday. Keating has retired after a 25-year career with the Fort Scott Fire Department. He began his career in 1993 as a volunteer firefighter, eventually working his way through the ranks to captain, his most recent title...

Some services at Mercy Hospital Fort Scott are continuing even as the deadline for the facility’s closure has passed. The following information was submitted by Mercy on Saturday, Dec. 30. The emergency room will continue to be open under Mercy ownership until after Feb. 1...

ssioners on Thursday signed off on budget amendments for 2018, giving the county authority to spend money in four county funds. Terry Sercer with Diehl Banwart and Bolton CPA of Fort Scott met with commissioners during a public hearing to discuss the end-of-year figures The 2018 amended budget was approved for publication Dec. 11. No citizens attended the public hearing...