A look back at Fort Scott's 2008

The Fort Scott Tribune

January

On Jan. 8, it was announced that former Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Gary Emry would become the new city administrator for the City of Girard. After interviewing four candidates, the Girard City Council tabbed Emry, who had served as chamber president since 2002, for the position. Emry began his new duties in February, and his term ends in April 2009.

During the Jan. 8 meeting of the Fort Scott City Commission, four representatives of the Southeast Kansas Regional Leadership Academy revealed the findings of a study that detailed their first impressions of Fort Scott. The purpose of the study is to provide an outsider's perspective of a community. The four students surveyed various aspects of Fort Scott, including the town's entrances, cemeteries, parks, downtown, schools and government buildings. They also interacted in the community, and later reported their findings to the commission. The study contained both positive and negative findings.

On Jan. 11, the sentencing hearing for Kohlby Freeze was changed to a status conference where Freeze discussed the case with his lawyers and Sixth Judicial Chief Judge Richard Smith, who presided over the case. Freeze pled guilty the previous year to second degree murder in the 2004 death of Karl "Rex" Schenker, his mother's fiance, at her house on Eddy Street. The reason for the conference was to allow Freeze a chance to speak to Smith after he wrote a letter to the judge requesting his guilty plea be withdrawn. But Freeze changed his mind and decided not to withdraw the plea.

Two adults and a 6-month-old baby escaped a burning house before it became fully enveloped in flames early on the morning of Jan. 15. Vincent Woods, Courtney Clayton, and 6-month-old Kassen Woods were home when the two-story house at 1287 Jayhawk Road caught fire early Tuesday morning. The three managed to escape the burning house through the front door without injury. The fire, which was labeled an accident, apparently started in a wood stove in the house's basement. The house was completely destroyed. The Bourbon County Chapter of the American Red Cross provided lodging for the family until they found another place to live.

February

A cow that had escaped from the Fort Scott Livestock Market wandered through parts of Fort Scott on the morning of Feb. 11. Some reports indicated the cow even managed to trot onto U.S. Highway 69 at one point before law enforcement officials cornered and captured the animal.

Movie Gallery officials announced on Feb. 14 that the video rental company's stores in Fort Scott and Nevada, Mo., would be two of 400 stores nationwide that the company planned to close as part of its reorganization plan and attempt to exit bankruptcy. The company closed underperforming and unprofitable stores that operated under the Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video names. Both stores remained open for a short time for liquidation sales before officially closing.

It was announced in late February that the Herald-Tribune, the Fort Scott Tribune, and the Nevada Daily Mail would become morning newspapers as of March 1. The change was made to make sports scores and breaking news from the previous evening available earlier. News was also made available to online subscribers by early morning, and newspapers became available in racks and vendors by 6 a.m. All three newspapers are also now delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, allowing all subscribers to receive their newspaper on the same day. The Fort Scott Tribune also ceased publication of its Monday edition in early March.

By Feb. 29, the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce had announced the appointment of Nevada, Mo., native Vicki Pritchett as its new president and chief executive officer. Pritchett came to the chamber after working as the director of development at KRPS Public Radio in Pittsburg. Pritchett possesses a background in fundraising, communications, economic development, and event planning. She replaced former president and CEO Gary Emry, who accepted a job as the city manager of Girard the same month.

Also in late February, Floyd Alexander Gibson, Fort Scott, pleaded guilty to charges he molested two 15-year-old girls in late 2007. Gibson pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent liberties with a child, a severity level five person felony. The incidents happened sometime between Sept. 1 and Sept. 3, 2007. The plea agreement required Gibson to submit to a psychosexual evaluation and to register as a sex offender. He was originally charged 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, and two counts of endangering a child.

March

A co-defendant in the Gibson case, Aaron Myers, Fort Scott, pleaded no contest on March 4 to a charge that he solicited sex from a 15-year-old girl in 2007. Myers entered a no contest plea on one count of indecent solicitation of a child, a severity level 6 person felony. The incident involved a then-15-year-old girl, and took place sometime between July 1 and Sept. 3, 2007. Remaining counts on Myers were dismissed, provided Myers registered as a sex offender. He was originally charged with indecent liberties with a child and indecent solicitation of a child, both felonies; furnishing a cereal malt beverage to a minor, a misdemeanor; and two counts of endangering a child, both misdemeanors.

The Fort Scott City Commission voted unanimously on March 18 to appoint Joe Turner, Parkville, Mo., as the new city manager of Fort Scott. Turner took office April 21. He brings an extensive background in city government to the position, having served as the financial director in Atchison in 1985, and a 14-year stint as the city manager in Atchison starting in 1990. He also served as city administrator in Parkville. Turner and his wife, Lyn, have three grown children.

On March 19, the girlfriend of former Fort Scott native John Barbieri was charged with first-degree murder for allegedly killing Barbieri in his Kansas City home earlier that week. Barbieri's body was found by Kansas City police officers after responding to his home following reports of a disturbance and shots fired. Syreta Toson, Kansas City, Mo., was charged by Jackson County, Mo., prosecutors with first-degree murder. Toson told police she shot Barbieri after he forced her to smoke crack cocaine and then raped her, according to court records of the case.

April

On April 14, Fort Scott police continued an investigation into a major fight that took place April 11 at the old Colonial Motel on 215th Street. The incident involved a group of 10 people who were drinking alcohol and causing a disturbance at the motel. When officers arrived at the scene, the group scattered. One suspect, along with two other men, jumped in a pick-up truck and fled the scene at a high rate of speed. Police officers gave chase and a high speed pursuit ensued. The chase ended when the truck entered a flooded area on Osage Road and became submerged. Fort Scott Fire Department and rural firefighters rescued the three men and pulled the truck out of the water. The men were later released from Mercy Health Center and arrested by police on several charges.

During the April 15 Fort Scott City Commission meeting, the commission unanimously voted to elect Gary Bukowski as the city's new mayor. Bukowski was previously the acting commission president and had filled in for former mayor Dick Hedges when Hedges was absent. Commissioner Barbara Wood nominated Bukowski for the position.

On April 28, Fort Scott police arrested several area residents on warrants for suspicious for purchasing medicine that contains pseudoephedrine and ephedrine; two ingredients used to manufacture methamphetamine. The arrests stemmed from an investigation into the purchase of multiple cold medicines containing these substances at area retail stores over a multiple-day period. Investigators obtained lists naming the people who purchased the medicine from these stores, and used the lists to secure warrants for the arrests. All suspects posted bond and were later released from the Southeast Kansas Regional Correctional Center.

Also in April, The Fort Scott Tribune began operating with a new managing editor after Justin Messner took over the duties for long-time Tribune employee Robin Hixson, who first joined the newspaper in 1997. She worked as a reporter and staff writer until 2005, when she became associate editor, and eventually managing editor within a matter of months. Messner is a former assistant editor at the Nevada Daily Mail.

May

On May 3, Sixth Judicial District Chief Judge Richard Smith handed down a long awaited sentence to Kolby Freeze, who pleaded guilty to two felony counts. Smith sentenced 20 year-old Freeze to 22 years on a single count of second degree murder and another four years and five months on one count of battery on a correctional officer. Smith ruled the sentences run consecutively, meaning Freeze will serve a total of 26 years and 8 months.

After Judge Mark Ward found local resident Aaron Myers guilty of indecent solicitation of a child, a severity level 6 person felony, on May 12, he sentenced the 27 year old to 36 months of intensive supervised probation with community corrections, followed by 24 months of post-release supervision. As part of the terms of his probation, Myers was required to complete psychosexual counseling, submit a DNA sample for the federal crime database, abstain from alcohol and drugs, submit random urine samples for a urine analysis and gain employment. Also, Myers was required to register as a sex offender.

Local residents mourned the death of 98-year-old Irena Sendler, a Polish-born heroine and social worker on May 12. Students from Uniontown High School wrote and performed a play about Sendler for a 1999 National History Day project. Former Uniontown teacher Norm Conard and his students visited Sendler in her native country to help celebrate her 98th birthday eight days before she died.

On May 16, after forming an exploratory committee to examine the feasibility of running for a position in the Kansas Senate, local resident Bob Marshall launched his campaign for the 13th State Senate District. Marshall said he believed his professional experience, coupled with a strong background in economic development, would help him represent Southeast Kansas in Topeka.

Saturday, May 24, was an exciting day for many area residents who participated in the Scottish Rite Temple's Race for the Hidden Treasures of Fort Scott. The race coincided with the release of the DVD version of the National Treasure, Book of Secrets movie. In order to promote the movie's theatrical debut, similar clue hunts were conducted in Los Angeles, Calif., San Francisco, Calif. and Washington D.C. on Dec. 4, 2007. Just as the local race concluded at the Scottish Rite Temple, the races on Dec. 4 also came to an end at Scottish Rite Temples.

June

As part of a national tour, a phone car, which was making its way across the United States, stopped in Fort Scott on June 2. The car's driver Hunter Mann, began his cross-country tour in Boston, Mass., and ended in San Francisco, Calif. Mann said he included Fort Scott in his tour because he had been following parts of old Route 66. Since he enjoys showing the car off in smaller towns, he pulled the phone into town. While here, Mann said he enjoyed browsing through the local antique stores.

On June 4, the Budweiser Clydesdales, an entourage of 10 horses, in addition to their wagon, supplies and a dog, named Bud, trotted onto the Bourbon County Fairgrounds. The Clydesdales were a featured attraction for the Good Ol' Days "Pennies for Progress" parade on June 6 in downtown Fort Scott. In addition, they were available for public viewing at the Fort Scott National Historic Site, where they were stabled, during the annual Good Ol' Days.

On June 3, Bourbon County was added to the Kansas area disaster list after high winds uprooted trees and downed power lines across the county. The storm caused some residents in Garland, Hiattville, Fort Scott, Redfield and Pawnee Station to suffer electrical outages. In addition, about 18 miles south of Fort Scott, the entire town of Arcadia lost electricity because of the storm. Arcadia residents were forced to take cover as winds close to 100 miles per hour began to force trees to hit the ground and power lines to snap.

The criminal case against Greg Kuplen, Fort Scott, who had charges against him stemming from a Bourbon County Grand Jury investigation, were dropped on June 7 because Kuplen died on May 6 at the age of 55.

Small groups of area residents assembled in front of St. Mary's Catholic School on June 17 to watch the demolition of the school's building. Water damage and termite infestations that occurred throughout the years caused the building, which was constructed in 1923, to be damaged. School officials began construction on a new building which will house the school as well as church offices and an Adoration Chapel.

At approximately 2 p.m., on June 27, six area fire departments assisted in extinguishing a blaze which leveled the home of Daniel Young located approximately one-fourth mile west of the Vernon-Bourbon County line, on 265th St. Although Martha Loyd and two children ages 1 and 3 were inside the house when the fire erupted, all were able to escape the flames uninjured through a window in the rear of the house.

Area residents gathered at Wall and Main Street on June 6, to witness the groundbreaking ceremony for the Phoenix Downtown Redevelopment Committee's Streetscape Project. The project was created to restore and revitalize the portions of downtown Fort Scott that were affected by a March 11, 2005, fire which destroyed several historic buildings and other areas downtown. The city used more than $2 million in Federal grant funds to help pay for the restoration project, which is now nearly complete.