Commission appoints interim fire chief, emergency director

Linda Simons and Brian Shroyer were at the Linn County Commission meeting on Monday, April 27, to express interest in being appointed to interim heads of their departments. Simons will take over as head of the Emergency Management Department and Shroyer will be interim county fire chief. (Screen capture / Linn County Kansas Livestream) Editor's note: In the original version of this story, Linda Simons' new salary was reported in correctly. We regret the error. By Charlene Sim

Charlene Sims, Journal staff

Commission appoints interim fire chief, emergency director

Perfect start to weekend

Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 64. North wind 5 to 8 mph.

Saturday Night: Clear, with a low around 45. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 8 mph in the evening. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.

Link to the National Weather Service radar.

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NWS records Sunday's Parker tornado as an EF-0

The yellow line marks the approximate path of the tornado that touched down southwest of Parker on Sunday, April 26. The storm travel from the lower left up to the upper right. Journal staff report PLEASANT HILL, Mo. – The National Weather Service has deemed the tornado that touched down southwest of Parker on Sunday afternoon, April 26, was an EF-0 that had winds up to 80 mph. The tornado occurred about 4:38 p.m. and lasted about seven minutes until 4:45 p.m., traveling near

Roger Sims

Community to send Prescott veteran on Honor Flight

Jayhawk freshman Ryland Summers performs a trumpet solo at Saturday's Honor Flight fundraising event. (Photo by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal) By Roger Sims, Journal staff linncountyjournal@icloud.com MOUND CITY – Community members and businesses from the area have quickly responded to a request for donations to help send a Prescott veteran, his “guardian,” and a sponsor on an Honor Flight slated for June this year. As a result of that outpouring of support, Jayhawk-Linn H

Roger Sims, Journal Staff

Commission votes to put liquor-by-the-drink question on ballot

Linn County voters will have the opportunity to decide whether establishments that sell liquor by the drink will need to continue to meet the current requirement of 30% food in gross sales. (Wix file photo) By Charlene Sims, Journal staff LCJeditor@icloud.com MOUND CITY – The primary election ballot on Aug. 4 will include a question for Linn County voters about a change to serving liquor by the drink. Currently, the law requires establishments in Linn County that serve liquor

Roger Sims

County fire chief, emergency management director resigns

Linn County Fire Chief Randy Hegwald in an unexpected move resigned on Thursday from his posts as chief firefighter and emergency management director. (Photo by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal) By Roger Sims, Journal staff linncountyjournal@icloud.com PLEASANTON – Linn County Fire Chief Randy Hegwald on Thursday, April 23, submitted his resignation in an email to Linn County Commissioners, sending a copy to fire officials, firefighters, and “leadership personnel” across the

Roger Sims, Journal Staff

2024 SEPTEMBER 400 x 400 Linn County Journal.jpg

• Clyde Elmer Rookstool

• Edward Lee Umphenour

• Dianne Lynn Harris

• Donald “Don” McBroom

• Donnell Tinsley

For recent local news, go to
page 4
by clicking here.

Area premier of 'A Beautiful Place' slated for early June

"A Beautiful Place," a documentary by Sue Vicory, will have its area premiere in early June. News release / Journal staff report A feature documentary by Mound City-based filmmaker Sue Vicory, “A Beautiful Place,” will have its Kansas City premiere on June 5th and 6th at the TWA museum, at 10 NW Richards Rd. Kansas City, Mo. The filmmaking crew on the project also includes work by two Linn County residents: videography Taylor Snyder and screenwriting by Angela Holt. The film

Press release

Volunteers work to clear damage left by tornado

Volunteers work to cut to clear a path on the Mine Creek Battlefield site south of Pleasanton that had been blocked by trees knocked down by the April 13 tornado. Damage to the trees in the timber was extensive. (Photos by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal) PLEASANTON – A dozen men armed with chainsaws literally hacked their way into the timber at the Mine Creek Battlefield site on Saturday, April 25. The regular “Park Day” event that draws volunteers to spruce up the site too

Roger Sims, Journal Staff

Commission rejects Youthfront rezoning on split zone

By Charlene Sims, Journal staff LCJeditor@icloud.com MOUND CITY – On Monday, April 20, the Linn County Commissioners turned down a rezoning request that had been approved twice by the county’s planning commission and had to be postponed twice for final approval by the commission due to staff error and staff rearranging the planning commission’s schedule. The vote for the denial of the rezoning was 2 to 1 with Commissioner Jason Hightower voting against denying the application

Charlene Sims, Journal staff

Former firefighter challenges fire chief's report on county's fire rating; former commission chair fails to disclose results

Randy Hegwald, Linn County Rural Fire Department chief, disclosed results of an ISO report at the county commission meeting on Monday, April 20. (Linn County Rural Fire Department Facebook) By Charlene Sims, Journal staff LCJeditor@icloud.com MOUND CITY – In the wake of request the previous week by a former firefighter for updated information on the ISO rating for the Linn County's rural fire department, Commissioner Jim Johnson asked county fire chief to explain the new repo

Roger Sims

City Events

La Cygne

• Citywide garage sale, May 1 – 3

• Citywide clean-up, May 9

Linn Valley

• Planning and zoning meeting, May 7,

6 p.m.

Mound City

• City council meeting, May 5, 7 p.m.

• Fishing derby, Mound City Lake, 11001 W. 750 Rd., May 16, registration begins at 9 a.m.

• Citywide garage sale, May 15 – 16

Parker

• Special council meeting, scholarships / codes workshop, April 30, 5:45 p.m.

• Pet clinic, May 2, 9 a.m. to noon

Pleasanton

• City council meeting, May 4, 6 p.m.

• Fishing Derby, Saturday, June 6, Stegee Lake

Matters of Faith by Dr. Bascom Ratliff
For more Matters of Faith columns, follow this link.

Country Notebook by Rogene 'Jeannie' McPherson
For Country Notebook articles follow this link.

Opinion: Why didn’t the Kansas Legislature fix property taxes? Because GOP leaders were too cheap.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins, left, listens as Senate President Ty Masterson speaks during a Jan. 8, 2026, meeting of legislative leadership. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) By Clay Wirestone Kansas Reflector opinion editor Surprise! I’m back with an extra-special, bonus installment of Statehouse Scraps. No, the Kansas Legislature didn’t come back into session for extra days of loosey-goosey lawmaking and overripe overrides. But we ended up having too many dangling thr

Clay Wirestone, Kansas Reflector

Opinion: University of Kansas has plummeted in national rankings as academic focus shifts from core subjects

University of Kansas Chancellor Doug Girod and the faculty union have reached an agreement, writes our columnist. But the university faces bigger challenges. (Photo by Lily O'Shea Becker/Kansas Reflector) By David Awbrey Kansas Reflector opinion After a prolonged, bitter contract dispute that included a poll in which 80% of University of Kansas professors, students, staff and students responding said they had lost confidence in the school’s leadership, chancellor Doug Girod a

Kansas Reflector opinion

More Local News

Parker Panthers gather for annual alumni reunion

The Parker Rural High School class of 1966 members attending the reunion included, front row from left, Marylin Traul Chambers, Anna Gorrell Hansen, Charleta Dumcum Ungeheuer, Dillard Ungeheuer; back row, Bill Folsom, Doug McCarty and David Hodgson. (Photos by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal) By Roger Sims, Journal staff linncountyjournal@icloud.com The Parker Rural High School alumni gathered for their annual reunion on Saturday, April 25. This year saw a change of venue, m

Roger Sims, Journal Staff

KSHSAA Board of Directors approves girls flag football as sanctioned sport

Prairie View girls play in a powder-puff touch football game as a part of homecoming activities in the fall. State school activity officials voted this week to make girls flag football a sanctioned sport. (Journal file photo) Press release TOPEKA – The Kansas State High School Activities Association Board of Directors voted Thursday to add girls flag football as an official KSHSAA-sanctioned activity, starting in the 2026-27 school year. Kansas is now the 18th state to sancti

Press release

CHC/SEK names infectious disease program director

Taylor Panczer has been named director of Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas' Infectious Disease Program. (Submitted photo) Press release PITTSBURG, Kan.—The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas (CHC/SEK) is pleased to announce the promotion of Taylor Panczer to Infectious Disease Program Director. Panczer holds a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from Lock Haven University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Community Hea

Press release

La Cygne council orders hearing on dangerous property; prevents residents from returning home

The north side of this duplex at 825 N. Seventh St. Court in La Cygne will face a condemnation hearing in May. By Roger Sims, Journal staff linncountyjournal@icloud.com LA CYGNE – A fire in the attic of a residence on Tuesday, April 14, has led to the residents of a duplex 825 N. Seventh St. Court in La Cygne banned from returning to their homes until the structure is made safe – not from fire damage but from safety issues resulting from construction work being done on the b

Roger Sims

For recent local news, go to
page 4 by clicking here.

State, Regional & National News

Access to Justice group works to increase resources, attract attorneys to rural Kansas

Kansas Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall says state programs to address rural attorney shortages and offer support for people who are representing themselves are filling gaps in the justice system. (Photo by Morgan Chilson/Kansas Reflector) By Morgan Chilson Kansas Reflector TOPEKA — A “civil justice crisis” in state courts and across the country requires systemic change, and Kansas’ multifaceted approach is making a difference, a Kansas Supreme Court justice said Monday. The s

Morgan Chilson, Kansas Reflector

Kelly signs law strengthening oversight, regulation of pharmacy middlemen

Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill on April 9, 2026, regulating pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen in the pharmaceutical industry. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) By Morgan Chilson Kansas Reflector TOPEKA – Gov. Laura Kelly signed a bill regulating companies that operate as middlemen in the pharmaceutical industry, demanding transparent transactions and guardrails to protect consumers and pharmacists. Senate Bill 20 regulates pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), whi

Morgan Chilson, Kansas Reflector

Kansas’ four members of U.S. House vote to endorse farm bill legislation

All four U.S. House members from Kansas — three Republicans and one Democrat — join a bipartisan majority to approve a bill covering a wide swath of federal food and agriculture programs. In this image, harvest work proceeds in Nebraska amid a period of high fertilizer costs and low crop prices. (Photo by Gary Stone of Nebraska Extension/University of Nebraska-Lincoln) By Tim Carpenter Kansas Reflector TOPEKA — The three Republicans and one Democrat representing Kansas in the

Tim Carpenter, Kansas Reflector

Kansas pastor enters U.S. Senate race as Democrat, wants to give Roger Marshall an early retirement

Adam Hamilton, pastor of the largest United Methodist Church in the country, announces his candidacy for U.S. Senate on April 30, 2026, in Prairie Village. (Photo by Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector) By Anna Kaminski Kansas Reflector PRAIRIE VILLAGE — A Kansas City-area pastor will run for U.S. Senate as “an independent-minded Democrat,” putting to bed months of speculation that he would challenge U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall as an independent. Adam Hamilton, founding member and se

Anna Kaminski, Kansas Reflector

Kansas Democrats running for governor clash on CoreCivic, party establishment in forum

Democratic candidates for governor — Sen. Ethan Corson and Sen. Cindy Holscher — participate in a forum April 26, 2026, at the Aztec Shawnee Theater. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector) By Sherman Smith Kansas Reflector SHAWNEE — Kansas Sen. Cindy Holscher positioned herself at a Sunday night Democratic forum as the anti-establishment candidate for governor with a history of winning in legislative districts formerly held by Republicans. Her top opponent in seeking the p

Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Kansas sends letters telling people to repay $67.4M in unemployment benefits dating to the pandemic

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, left, and Kansas Department of Labor secretary Amber Shultz announce the launch of the state's new online unemployment system Nov. 22, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka. Agency staff say the new system has allowed them to identify 8,526 overpayments made since Jan. 1, 2019. (Photo by Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector) By Sherman Smith Kansas Reflector TOPEKA — The Kansas Department of Labor is notifying more than 8,500 individuals that they collectively

Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Update:Tornado on the ground, another near miss

Sugar Valley resident Michael Evans picks up the pieces of his demolished mobile home preparing to throw it in a dumpster. Evans was in the home when the tornado hit on Monday evening, April 13. The two Corvettes in the background were in a garage, according to Evans. The garage was blown away, but the 'Vettes had little damage. (Photos by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal) By Roger Sims, Journal staff linncountyjournal@icloud.com Update: The Journal received the photo below b

Roger Sims, Journal Staff

National Weather Service deems Linn County twister an EF 1

Olivia Macko, from left, and Brett Williams with the National Weather Service discuss Monday evening's tornado damage with property owner Jim Dick, who lives east of Mound City. The NWS staff members viewed several areas of damage and are expected to determine the strength of the storm on the EF scale. (Photo by Roger Sims / Linn County Journal) Roger Sims, Journal staff linncountyjournal@icloud.com PLEASANT HILL, Mo. – The National Weather Service on Tuesday, April 14, label

Roger Sims, Journal Staff

La Cygne official's questions point to commission disconnect on lots sales at industrial parks

In a discussion between a La Cygne official and the Linn County Commission, it became apparent that no one is in charge of selling tracts at the both of the county's industrial parks. (Journal file photo) By Charlene Sims, Journal staff LCJeditor@icloud.com MOUND CITY – A discussion with La Cygne Police Chief/Planning and Zoning Administrator Zachary Mathies and the Linn County Commission indicated that there has been a disconnect between the county’s governing body and the i

Charlene Sims, Journal staff

State wildlife department repurposes gear to foster interest in outdoor sports

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks fisheries biologist Don George urges people who run across unwanted fishing and hunting gear during spring cleaning to consider donating to the department. (Photo by David J. Boozer / Unsplash) By Roger Sims, Journal staff rsims@linncountyjournal.com MOUND CITY – Doing spring cleaning and wondering what to do with fishing and hunting equipment that is no longer used. Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP) has an answer. Don Geo

Roger Sims

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Linn County Journal

Saturday, May 2, 2026

Commission appoints interim fire chief, emergency director

Perfect start to weekend

Link to the National Weather Service radar.

Want to get the Linn County Journal's free email newsletters? Enter your email below and then click on 'Subscribe.' Be sure to put 'info@linncountyjournal.com' in your contacts so you don't miss a message.

Top Stories

NWS records Sunday's Parker tornado as an EF-0

Community to send Prescott veteran on Honor Flight

Commission votes to put liquor-by-the-drink question on ballot

County fire chief, emergency management director resigns

For recent local news, go to page 4 by clicking here.

Area premier of 'A Beautiful Place' slated for early June

Volunteers work to clear damage left by tornado

Commission rejects Youthfront rezoning on split zone

Former firefighter challenges fire chief's report on county's fire rating; former commission chair fails to disclose results

City Events

La Cygne

Linn Valley

Mound City

​​

Parker

Pleasanton

Matters of Faith by Dr. Bascom Ratliff For more Matters of Faith columns, follow this link.

Country Notebook by Rogene 'Jeannie' McPherson For Country Notebook articles follow this link.

Opinion: Why didn’t the Kansas Legislature fix property taxes? Because GOP leaders were too cheap.

Opinion: University of Kansas has plummeted in national rankings as academic focus shifts from core subjects

More Local News

Parker Panthers gather for annual alumni reunion

KSHSAA Board of Directors approves girls flag football as sanctioned sport

CHC/SEK names infectious disease program director

La Cygne council orders hearing on dangerous property; prevents residents from returning home

For recent local news, go to page 4 by clicking here.

State, Regional & National News

Access to Justice group works to increase resources, attract attorneys to rural Kansas

Kelly signs law strengthening oversight, regulation of pharmacy middlemen

Kansas’ four members of U.S. House vote to endorse farm bill legislation

Kansas pastor enters U.S. Senate race as Democrat, wants to give Roger Marshall an early retirement

Kansas Democrats running for governor clash on CoreCivic, party establishment in forum

Kansas sends letters telling people to repay $67.4M in unemployment benefits dating to the pandemic

Update:Tornado on the ground, another near miss

National Weather Service deems Linn County twister an EF 1

La Cygne official's questions point to commission disconnect on lots sales at industrial parks

State wildlife department repurposes gear to foster interest in outdoor sports

For recent local news, go to page 4 by clicking here.

Back to Top

Phone: 913-259-2546
Email: linncountyjournal@icloud.com

For recent local news, go to
page 4
by clicking here.

Matters of Faith by Dr. Bascom Ratliff
For more Matters of Faith columns, follow this link.

Country Notebook by Rogene 'Jeannie' McPherson
For Country Notebook articles follow this link.

For recent local news, go to
page 4 by clicking here.