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Top 5: Fort Scott no stranger to controversy in 2010
The Fort Scott Tribune
From animal cruelty allegations to sex scandals to layoffs, controversy was no stranger to Fort Scott and Bourbon County in 2010. The staff of The Fort Scott Tribune have picked 10 of the most popular and notable stories of the year.
The following are summaries of five of those stories. Five others appeared in Wednesday's edition of The Tribune.
Animal cruelty
allegations
Possibly the most controversial topic of 2010 came from a website's allegations of a local horse trading operation abusing and neglecting animals.
In July, Tucker Brothers LLC was targeted by the animal rights website Thomas Paine's Corner -- www.thomaspainescorner.wordpress.com -- for the alleged neglect and starvation of horses on their farm, located a few miles south of Fort Scott. Jason Miller, senior editor and founder of Thomas Paine's Corner, said the content posted on the website, including photos, was provided to him by "anonymous individuals" who claim to have witnessed the mistreatment.
Raymond Tucker, owner of Tucker Brothers LLC, denied the allegations, adding that some of his horses were in poor condition, but he bought them that way and they had not yet improved.
Adding to the allegations, Tucker was accused of shipping horses to slaughterhouses in Mexico or Canada. Tucker responded by saying he sells horses to a broker in Texas and what happens after that is none of his business. He went on to promote slaughterhouses for horses, saying the ban on them is what has led to the current market for horses.
Tucker and Miller met at Tucker's farm so Miller could see first-hand the conditions of the horses and the farms. Miller said Tucker put on a good show and accused him of cleaning up prior to Miller's visit.
Ultimately, following an investigation by the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office and the Kansas State Veterinarian, the allegations were ruled false.
In September, a San Antonio, Texas, TV station reported local resident Justin Harvey had been arrested after abandoning a trailer holding seven horses and charged with cruelty to livestock. Harvey was accused of leaving a trailer on Interstate 35. A veterinarian who was at the scene said the horses most likely had not had anything to eat or drink for at least eight hours. Although the trailer was ventilated, authorities said temperatures inside were between 130 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit, the report said. The incident led to the death of two of the seven horses.
It was determined that the horses in the trailer came from Tucker. When asked about the incident, Tucker said it was an unfortunate situation. Tucker did not appear to take the incident too seriously as he claimed it would not amount to anything and all it was doing was "stirring up more publicity that doesn't need to be stirred up."
Dance team sponsor pleads guilty
In what proved to be another controversial issue, the dance team sponsor at Fort Scott High School was arrested for sexual exploitation of a child and unlawful sexual relations.
Abby Kramer, sponsor of the Fort Scott High School dance team sponsor and GEAR UP, a program FSHS contracted through Neosho County Community College, was arrested in May after school officials reported an incident occurring at the school. Kramer, 23, was charged with one count of sexual exploitation of a child and three counts of unlawful sexual relations in connection with a relationship she was having with a 17-year-old student.
In September, Kramer entered a plea agreement in which the count of sexual exploitation of a child was dismissed. Kramer pleaded guilty to three counts of unlawful sexual relations with a child.
New city manager
After the sudden retirement of Fort Scott City Manager Joe Turner, the Fort Scott City Commission -- for possibly the first time -- hired a local resident to fill the spot.
Dave Martin was named to the job in September after being involved in the community in several other areas including Mercy Board of Trustees, Mercy Foundation Board, Fort Scott Community College Endowment Association, past planning commissions, Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce and several different committees.
Lifelong Fort Scott resident and Fort Scott City Commissioner Sam Mason said the hire marked the first time he can remember in which a local resident was hired as city manager.
Martin was chosen from a field of 40 applicants. Seven were interviewed. Mason said it was a tough decision and that there were a lot of very good candidates to choose from.
Three men save life
of 16-month-old child
Three local men became heroes this May when they saved the life of a local child.
Jesse Durbin was working at Fort Scott Livestock Market Inc. when he heard an accident in the area followed by a woman screaming for help. Co-worker Mandy Shoemaker got in a utility vehicle to go and offer help while another co-worker, Steve Wade, called 911.
Durbin found the Pontiac G6 driven by Kylene Palmer lying on its roof in about 5 feet of water on the north side of Maple Road. Palmer and daughter Sadie Marchiano were able to exit the car; but another daughter, 16-month-old Riley Marchiano was trapped underwater, still in her child safety seat.
Palmer told Durbin the baby was still in the car and Durbin took action.
Right after Durbin and Shoemaker arrived, Fort Scott residents Pat Farrell, a USD 234 bus driver, and John Keating, a nearby resident and Fort Scott firefighter, who was off duty at the time, arrived to perform CPR. Farrell was hauling cattle when Shoemaker flagged him down.
Riley was handed over to Farrell who performed CPR and got the water out of Riley's lungs. He said Riley was not breathing before he started CPR.
According to the preliminary investigation by the Bourbon County Sheriff's Office, Palmer was traveling west on Maple Road, west of Fort Scott Livestock Market, when the vehicle dropped off the shoulder on the right side.
Palmer then over-corrected to the left causing the vehicle to slide. The vehicle slid off the road on the right side and struck a culvert which caused the vehicle to overturn and fall about 10 feet into the standing water.
Cigna announces changes, layoffs
The economic outlook in Fort Scott took a hit in March when Cigna Healthcare announced changes at its local office.
After assembling all the employees, Cigna Healthcare announced it would transition to home-based arrangements.
A Cigna Healthcare spokesperson said most of the employees would make the transition, however, some cuts were made.
Ultimately, about 80 of the 270 workers were released, with most of the layoffs impacting claims processors.
According to a spokesperson, cost reduction was the primary reason behind the transition. The transition was made in several locations, in addition to utilizing more automated aspects and "24-7 operations" to reduce the overall costs.
Cigna Healthcare is operating work-at-home operations for one-third of its claims examiners.
In May, the city of Fort Scott announced there was a potential tenant interested in the building, which has been empty since June when the transition was completed. To date, there has been no activity at the building and it continues to sit vacant.