What happened in Fort Scott, Bourbon County throughout 2007

January

On Jan. 2 a local construction company, due to safety concerns, temporarily fixed a portion of the burned-out Nelson Block Building, one of the oldest buildings in downtown Fort Scott, that had been leaning outward and was considered a danger to the public.

City officials had noticed the upper portion of the facade was leaning outward and blocked off the area to ensure public safety. The facade, which abutted the Miller Building, leaned out about two feet toward Wall street. The buildings, which officials had deemed unsafe, had been gutted by the devastating fire that ripped through several downtown buildings in March 2005.

City officials extended barricades well out into Wall street and shut down a portion the street in front of the building while a local contractor pushed the facade back and removed a portion of the building to prevent collapse.

The Kansas State Historical Society eventually approved the city's plan to demolish both buildings, which were considered historical properties. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment also had to approve demolition after asbestos was found during a preliminary evaluation.

Demolition of both structures began later in the month at a cost of about $3,250 to the state. The structures were demolished after the city failed to attract any developers to restore the buildings. The Miller structure was built in 1863 and the Nelson structure was built in 1884.

Local law enforcement officials found no evidence of criminal intent during the investigation of a fire that gutted a popular local eatery Jan. 27.

That morning, smoke and heat damaged the inside of Boone and Dauben's Drive-In, 515 S. National Ave., that had been serving customers since 1963. Owner Teresa Weidman called for help early that morning after she noticed heavy smoke pouring from the building when she arrived. Firefighters had the blaze under control in about 15-30 minutes. The restaurant, however, never reopened.

The fire occurred just a few weeks after a property dispute heated up between Weidman and Scott Beerbower, the manager of The Donut Station, located just north of Boone and Dauben's, at 501 S. National Ave. The situation escalated when Beerbower asked Weidman for compensation for her customers to park on Donut Station property, and culminated when Beerbower brought in a 35-foot ship replica that sat between the two properties. Beerbower later said he brought the ship in for advertising purposes, and later removed the ship from the property. The dispute eventually involved city officials and the Fort Scott Police Department. Weidman had claimed that Beerbower was trying to run her out of business.

Weidman and Beerbower had also debated whether fences should be constructed to separate the two properties, and where customers should park when visiting the establishments.

February

On Feb. 2, a grand jury issued 12 indictments that stemmed from a five-month investigation into allegations of criminal activity by Fort Scott city officials. The jury's findings were released that morning.

The indictments indicated that 12 of the 15 jurors agreed that a person or persons had allegedly committed an illegal act. The jury had convened on numerous occasions since August 2006 to investigate accusations of state and federal misconduct by Fort Scott city commissioners and staff.

The jury devised a list of recommendations for city officials to improve city practices and policies.

Members of the Citizens Advisory Committee, a self-appointed group formed to scrutinize and advise city officials, filed a petition in July 2006, calling for a grand jury investigation. CAC members obtained nearly 400 signatures. Some of the criminal violations alleged in the petition involved misuse of public funds, presenting a false claim, permitting a false claim, making a false writing and obstruction of official duty.

An NBC crew from "The Today Show" visited Uniontown Feb. 7 to meet members of the student-driven Life in a Jar Project and film a news story on the project that aired in March.

Television correspondent Bob Dotson and a small production crew visited the school to talk with students about the project, which tells the story of Polish-born Holocaust heroine Irena Sendler.

The Life in a Jar project began in 1999 as a National History Day project, and is centered around a stage play performed by current and former students about Sendler's dangerous work rescuing children from the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw during World War II.

Several students involved in the project flew to Los Angeles the next day for interviews in "The Today Show" studios. The 97-year-old Sendler, who once smuggled more than 2,500 Jewish children to safety, was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in October.

Students have performed the play more than 200 times in the United States and Europe. Some original members still perform in the play even after attending college and going on to pursue various careers.

March

About a month after the grand jury issued 12 indictments stemming from an investigation into alleged wrongdoings by Fort Scott city officials and local residents, the Kansas Attorney General's Office charged five people in relation to those indictments, none of whom were current city officials.

The Bourbon County Sheriff's Office arrested former Fort Scott Economic Development Director Don Russell, local chiropractor and developer Charles Parsons, Parsons' employee Cindy Moyers, local insurance underwriter Tim Allison, and former restaurateur Greg Kuplen. All were later released under their own recognizance.

The five appeared in Bourbon County District Court on March 27 to face charges resulting from the indictments. They were booked into the Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Center and later released on bond.

Six charges were filed, which were all non-person, low-level felonies linked to the March 11, 2005, downtown fire.

No other charges or arrests connected to the 12 indictments have been made since March.

Later in the year, all charges against Parsons were dropped and charges against Moyers were dismissed. The cases against Kuplen, Russell and Allison are currently in process.

In March, the Kansas House of Representatives passed the Riverfront Authority bill to facilitate funding, construction and maintenance of a recreational area along the north edge of Fort Scott.

The bill, previously approved by the Senate and later signed by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, would transform the Marmaton River and surrounding area between National Avenue and U.S. Highway 69 into a wildlife and recreational park.

The project, initiated by Develop the River as an Asset Committee co-convenor Dean Mann, will also involve landscaping and the installation of structures to raise the waterline.

A six-member Riverfront Authority board, which was implemented in May, will have the authority to acquire and manage land, and to seek state and federal grants to finance the project.

April

On April 17, the newly sworn in Fort Scott City Commission unanimously voted Dick Hedges in as mayor.

Two new members who won spots on the commission after the April 3 election, Gary Bukowski and Jim Adams, replaced long-time commissioners John Keating and former mayor Gary Billionis. During that meeting, the commission also nominated Bukowski to serve as president of the commission and Adams as the city's representative on the Bourbon County Economic Development Council.

In early April, former USD 235 teacher Norm Conard learned that he would be inducted later in the summer into the National Teachers Hall of Fame.

Conard, a 30-year educator, was one of five teachers from across the country who were honored during a three-day ceremony that took place in June in Emporia. Conard was honored by his peers and several students and USD 235 administrators on April 19 in Uniontown.

Conard received numerous awards during the course of his career, and spent nearly 20 years teaching social sciences and video production in Uniontown.

He helped a number of students develop award-winning National History Day projects.

After he resigned from his teaching post in July, Conard became the director of the Milken Education Center, 4 S. Main St., a non-profit foundation funded by the Milken Family Foundation in California. The center helps students and teachers across the globe to choose and develop ideas related to school history projects and other projects that deal with relevant social issues, such as the teaching of respect and understanding among all people.

May

On May 4, an EF5 tornado about a mile wide demolished the small town of Greensburg, Kan. The twister destroyed 90 percent of the town. The following week, four local law enforcement officers traveled west to assist with the security of the Greensburg area while the cleanup and rebuilding of the town takes place.

Bourbon County Undersheriff Ron Gray, deputy sheriff John Taylor, Fort Scott Police officers Mike Trim and Toby Nighswonger provided security assistance in the devastated area.

"They need help," Bourbon County Sheriff Harold Coleman said at that time. "They asked us for whatever we could give them."

Local resident David Shockey was sentenced May 25 in Bourbon County District Court to 11 years in state prison for molesting a 9-year-old girl over an 11-month span starting in 2005.

According to the girl's account during a video-taped interview with a social worker, Shockey blindfolded her with a bandanna during one of the attacks, punched her in the chest during another, and another time threatened to kill her if she told anyone what he was doing.

Right after the judge pronounced the sentence, the victim's mother wept, and there was a great deal of emotion displayed by Shockey's family.

June

On June 5, voters rejected a 1-cent sales tax increase to fund a multi-million dollar aquatic center and unrelated economic development.

Residents voted 1,015 to 736 against a ballot question that asked them to fund a $6.5 million indoor/outdoor aquatic center through a 1-cent citywide sales tax over 10 years.

In all, 32 percent of registered Fort Scott voters turned out, with 1,746 of 5,332 of registered Fort Scott residents voting. That's a 10-percentage-point increase over the general election on April 3.

The Aqua Vision Committee pushed hard for the initiative in the months prior to the vote. In that time span, the committee held several town hall meetings to educate voters on the facility. In the end, it wasn't enough to win the support of voters.

As of Monday, June 18, the acting landlord of a Fort Scott apartment building downtown evicted the tenants because of unsafe structural conditions found by city officials. The building, located at 11 E. First St., is referred to as the Stout building.

A complaint was filed to the city's code department that prompted officials to inspect the building and found numerous codes violations like unstable flooring, exposed electrical wiring and corroded "I" beams holding the structure together.

"I have absolutely nowhere to go," said Lei-Lani Weyant, a former tenant.

Consistent rain pelted Bourbon County over several days in late June and into July, flooding small streams and rivers and turning low-lying areas into lakes.

The Marmaton River reached flood stage -- 38 feet. At 3:30 p.m. Friday, June 30 the river was creeping up the backside of the Fifth Wheel Tavern's parking lot on Humboldt Street.

The water just kept rising and, by that evening, Fort Scott Livestock Market, Inc., across the street north of the tavern had evacuated all the animals.

Throughout the weekend and into July, more and more roads and highways became impassible in South Central and Southeast Kansas. Flooding was reported in Fredonia, on U.S. Highway 400, north of Independence. Coffeyville, on U.S. 169, just above the Oklahoma line, had flooding, too.

By Saturday morning, the Little Osage River, though it did not cover the bridge on U.S. 69 north of Fulton, had risen out of its banks, flooding the countryside as far as the eye can see.

July

Longtime City Manager Richard Nienstedt resigned at a special city commission meeting Aug. 26.

Nienstedt, who had been in the position since 1993, said in a statement that Fort Scott was "besieged with turmoil" over the past several years and that his resignation would help the community heal and prosper in the future.

Nienstedt accepted the city manager position in Ottawa, Kan. His last day with the City of Fort Scot was Oct. 10.

"It has been my honor and pleasure to serve Fort Scott during some very important years and work with many outstanding citizens, city commissioners and business leaders," he said in the statement.

The commission hasn't found his replacement but are actively searching for a new city manager.

August

Earl Dosstter, a longtime citizen and community volunteer of Fort Scott, died Aug. 21 at the age of 79.

He did extensive work and involvement as a Scottish Rite Mason in the organization's Fort Scott chapter. Dosstter was a member and past member of the Fulton Lodge No. 210, and also received his Scottish Rite Degrees in the Valley of Fort Scott in 1977. He was also active in several other community organizations.

Dosstter was elected as a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor in 1993 and coronated as a 33rd Degree Inspector General Honorary in 2003. Both of these distinctions are the highest honors a Scottish Rite Mason can receive.

Dosstter also held several other Scottish Rite degrees and had served as the chairman of the greeters for periodic reunions the organization conducted.

Scottish Rite Temple Executive Secretary Keith Jeffers said Dosstter served on the organization's dining room committee, and would often arrive very early on certain mornings to prepare coffee and donuts so the refreshments would be ready when masons and other guests arrived for various events and meetings.

September

September brought much news to the eyes of Tribune readers.

Early in the month, area residents learned about two Fort Scott men, who made court appearances on allegations of crimes against minors. Floyd Alexander Gibson, 29, and Aaron J. Myers, 27, were charged in Bourbon County District Court. Bourbon County Attorney Terri Johnson charged Gibson with one count of felony criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties with a child, three counts of indecent liberties with a child, and misdemeanor charges of unlawful hosting of minors consuming alcohol, two counts of endangering a child. He faces a maximum of 75 years for the felony counts. Myers was charged with one count of indecent liberties with a child, indecent solicitation of a child, misdemeanor counts of furnishing a cereal malt beverage to a minor, and two counts of endangering a child. Myers faces a maximum of 15 years on the felony counts. The preliminary hearing for Gibson was delayed until next month because his recently-acquired defense attorney didn't have enough time to prepare for the trial, according to court documents. Bourbon County District Judge Mark Ward granted the continuance and rescheduled the hearing for 1:15 p.m. Jan. 16. Myers has what the court calls a "no go" preliminary hearing and status check on Jan. 3. The "no go" hearing might indicate Myers, 27, won't have a preliminary examination. It is sometimes used by attorneys in the process of working out of a plea agreement.

By the end of the month, the spotlight had been turned to the Tate and Dobbs families. An automobile accident robbed the families of the lives of Callie and Cecil Dobbs in addition to Callie's girl friend Kristel Pearson and an unborn baby. Although the wreck happened in August, readers were updated on the situation in September. The survivors of the wreck, Shae, Tyler and Leslie Dobbs, underwent months of hospitalization and physical therapy to recover. They also had to cope with the loss of their family members. The children's grandmother, Wanita Tate, began caring for the three siblings, often staying at the Ronald McDonald House while they were in the hospital or receiving outpatient physical therapy. Since Shae Dobbs now must depend on a wheel chair, and several months after the wreck, the family was presented with a handicapped accessible van through funds raised by the Parkway Church of God.

October

In October, one area news story received international attention. Vern Trembly, owner of a miniature horse farm near Uniontown, was accused by animal lovers and horse rescue organizations of not taking adequate care of his horses. It did not take long for word to reach people globally via the Internet. Virginia St. Pierre, a representative from Chances Miniature Horse Rescue, a non-profit organization that rehabilitates abused, unwanted or neglected miniature horses, inspected the horses after getting permission from the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office. Some of Trembly's horses were removed from his farm so they could receive proper care, and the sheriff worked with Trembly in order to improve the care for the horses that remained.

Also in October, about 200 people attended the Danny and Willa Ellis Family Fine Arts Center at the Fort Scott Community College. The new center, which will contain several theater, music, speech, and other performing arts classrooms and performance space, as well as a 600-seat auditorium with scene shop, will make a tremendous impact in the community, according to FSCC President Clayton Tatro. The facility will also contain the 12,000-square-foot Kathy Ellis Academic Hall, named after the Ellis' late daughter who died in 1997, as well as several dressing rooms, offices and other community meeting rooms. In addition, the center will host a variety of historical and cultural events in the area. About 20 people who contributed to the fine arts center project served as groundbreakers for the event, digging into the ground on the center's construction site with ceremonial shovels.

November

November brought the realization to readers that the Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Center is in need of much repair. A committee of area citizens, which was formed by the Bourbon County Commissioners, has been researching the current jail situation in order to make an informed decision about the correctional facility's fate. Although it is possible that repairs could be made to fix up the current facility, the costs of repairing the jail are estimated to exceed the cost of a brand new facility. Committee members have viewed other correctional facilities and toured the current facility in Bourbon County. After much investigation, the committee will make recommendations to the county commissioners, explaining how they feel the situation should progress.

Fort Scott Middle School Principal Barbara Albright made her way into the homes of Tribune readers in November. Albright was nominated for the Southeast Kansas District of the Kansas Music Educators Association for the KMEA Honor Administrator Award. Although Albright was chosen as the recipient of the Southeast District KMEA award, the winner of the state honor will not be chosen until February at the KMEA in-service and convention conducted at the Century II Convention Center in Wichita.

Albright said that she is thankful for the dedication of the FSMS fine arts educators. Albright also wished to express her gratitude to the language arts teachers at the middle school for their involvement in Project A.R.T. Albright said that the courses at FSMS offer the students a well-rounded education. In addition, Albright recognized the role that KMEA plays in leadership for music teachers.

December

Early in December, supporters of State Rep. Shirley Palmer were given the opportunity to show their support for her candidacy. Palmer, a retired school teacher who sought and won election to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2006, began the fundraising process for re-election in 2008. About 170 supporters assembled at the Liberty Theatre to partake in an "Evening of Elegance." During the evening, Palmer and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius both spoke. Sebelius told those gathered that Palmer has an interest in working hard for the people of Southeast Kansas, and that Palmer is a good example of servant leadership. Sebelius challenged those in attendance to give their active support to Palmer and spread the word about her ability to serve them.

Also in December, area residents learned that the local Taco Tico had been seized by the Kansas Department of Revenue. Between March 2005 and September 2007, the restaurant, which also contained one of the area locations of the Opie's Pizza franchise, allegedly incurred nearly $73,000 in delinquent sales taxes. KDOR said Davis also owes about $26,000 in delinquent withholding taxes from August 2003 to August 2007. All known bank accounts, on-site cash, business inventory, and personal property assets, including personal vehicles were seized and the business was sealed and closed. Seized assets will be sold at public auction to pay toward delinquent tax, the KDOR statement said.