Marion County RECORD

Enrollment numbers are in and they're lower for most

Tuesday was the deadline for Kansas schools to submit yearly enrollment figures to the state. An allocation of $4,218 for every full-time student is given schools, making up an important slice of annual budgets. Part-time students, such as preschoolers, count as percentages.

Flu is in Marion County

“Do I have the regular flu or is it the swine flu?” That’s the question going through people’s minds these days when they get sick.

Start of fall signals slowdown at county lake

Summer was busy at Marion County Park and Lake, director Steve Hudson said Friday. Permit sales exceeded expectations for the entire year by the end of August, he said. Many visitors hadn’t been to the lake in several years.

Tampa woman places fourth in beef cook-off

Beth Riffel of Tampa loves competition, especially when it comes to cooking. “I’m competitive by nature,” she said, “and I’m obsessed with competitive cooking.”

Young people volunteer at Lincolnville

A group of young people from the local community recently provided landscaping services at Lincolnville Community Center. The Lumberyard at Hillsboro donated much of the material.

Reno will serve as co-chairman of hospital fund raising project

When executive board members of St. Luke Hospital and Living Center Auxiliary met Sept. 22, they heard that Judy Reno would be co-chairman of a steering committee for the hospital renovation and expansion fund raising project. Frank Albert, fundraiser for St. Luke Foundation, asked Reno to serve.

Harry Rhodes family remembers Rhodes Ranch

Observant travelers along K-15 in northern Marion County will spot several pasture gates bearing the name, Rhodes Ranch. Providing entrance into acres of tall, bluestem prairie, the gates are a reminder of the 93 years the Harry Walter Rhodes family ranch dominated the area.

Making jewelry raises Florence resident's spirits

Laura Francis of Florence, after suffering for a couple of years with grief, found joy again by making jewelry. Francis became depressed about five years ago when her husband, Richard, passed away while they were separated. She said she questioned whether she could have done anything to prevent it. She was so melancholy she couldn’t even leave her home.

Convenience store opens in Lincolnville

Thanks to efforts by Marion County Economic Development Director Teresa Huffman, Lincolnville now has a convenience store. Benny and Sheryl Key opened Key Convenience Sept. 19 in the former Chipped Cup Café building on Lincolnville Avenue and U.S. 56/77. They live just south of Lincolnville.

Wanted: Overweight dogs

Is it possible to love your dog too much? It is if you feed your canine companions the wrong foods or even too much food that’s good for pooches. For that reason, Animal Health Center of Marion County is sponsoring “Biggest Loser Contest, Dog Edition.”

Accidents

Civil division

County jail

Crimminal division

Deeds recorded

Domestic division

Peabody Police Department

Sheriff Report

Traffic Report

Paul Williams Jr.

Paul Edward Williams Jr., 92, died Sept. 22. Born Jan. 21, 1917, in Marion, to Paul and Nettie Williams, he graduated from Marion High School and attended Southwestern University.

Sandi Kent

Sandi Kent, 76, Florence, died Sept. 28 at Newton Medical Center. She was a retired accountant and a former volunteer at the Florence Library. She attended the Methodist Church.

Justin Unruh

Justin Dean Unruh, infant son of Emily (Unruh) Jones of Marion and Troy Jones, Jr. of Bourbon, Mo., was stillborn on Sept. 20 at Newton Medical Center. Survivors include his parents; two brothers, Logan and Elijah; grandparents, Susie Riebold and Sherry Jones of St. Claire, Mo., Steve Unruh of Marion, and Troy Jones Sr. of Bourbon, Mo.

Carole Bennett

Carole June Bennett of Goessel died in her home Sept. 26. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Goessel Mennonite Church.

Glen Epp

Glen D. Epp, 84, Hillsboro, died Sept. 23 at Hillsboro Community Hospital. Born Jan. 24, 1925, in Henderson, Neb., to Gerhard F. and Anna L. (Penner) Epp, he was married June 16, 1950, in Mountain Lake, Minn., to Anna Mae Regier.

Lorene Holloway

Lorene Eleanor Holloway, 84, formerly of Lehigh, died Sept. 23 at McPherson Care Center. Born May 25, 1925, to Herbert and Bertha Weyand, she was married Feb 16, 1946, to LeRoy Holloway, who preceded her in death.

Bonnie J. Kerns

Bonnie J. Kerns, 81, of Reading, Pa., died Sept. 23, at Kutztown Manor. Born Oct. 2, 1927, in Peabody, she was the daughter of Henry and Elma (Seibel) Koslowsky.

Douglas Williams

Douglas Dean Williams, 40, of Marion, died suddenly Tuesday, September 22, 2009, at his mother’s home in rural Marion. He was born Jan. 3, 1969, at Marion, the son of Dean and Wanda (Thode) Williams. He grew up on the family farm, west of Marion, where he spent his childhood working with his dad, farming and helping run the family chicken operation.

Dale Burris

Dale T. Burris, age 82, retired State Farm Insurance Agent, died Saturday, Sept. 26, 2009. Visitation was 1 to 8 p.m. Monday with family present 6 to 8 pm. A funeral service was 2 p.m. Tuesday, all at Culbertson-Smith Mortuary, 115 S. Seneca St., Wichita.

Maxine Stockebrand

Maxine Helen Sutton Stockebrand, 93, Peabody, died Sept. 27. Born Oct. 19, 1915, in Salina, to Lewis Messner and Elizabeth Smith Sutton, she grew up in Salina, graduate from Salina High School, and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1937 in biology from Kansas Wesleyan University.

Eldon Schmidt

Eldon E. Schmidt, 83, died Sept. 24 in Hillsboro. Born April 12, 1926, in Newton to Herman and Susie (Unruh) Schmidt, he was married June 3, 1947, to Helen Thiessen in Inman.

Billie York

Billie E. York, 83, of Raymore, Mo., died Sept. 25. Born Feb. 24, 1926, in Herington, to Earl and Nellie York, he graduated from Herington High School in 1944 and was drafted in the Army Air Force.

County detective position proposed

Marion County Attorney Susan Robson and Sheriff Rob Craft met with county commissioners Monday to discuss the possible creation of a detective position at the county level. Craft said having someone to investigate ongoing cases would give deputies more freedom to tend to day-to-day duties.

KPERS not 'bankrupt,' state treasurer says

Kansas State Treasurer Dennis McKinney Thursday refuted a University of Kansas report that claims Kansas Public Employees Retirement System is bankrupt, but he said problems will exist in the future without reform. The report from the Center for Applied Economics in the KU School of Business says, “

Appraiser's employees experiencing hostility from public

Marion County commissioners decided to ask Gary Diepenbrock, of Lincolnville, to submit a petition asking for the dismissal of County Appraiser Cindy Magill, which he began circulating after an Aug. 24 meeting with commissioners. “I’m not going to let this sit out there festering for six months,” Commission Chairman Dan Holub said.

Meeting addresses lake roads

Determining whether narrow side streets off Lakeshore Drive at Marion County Park and Lake are county roads is the first step to road maintenance, residents decided Monday during a meeting with Marion County commissioners. If the roads are not county roads, the county would need an entity — such as the improvement district or a homeowners association — to negotiate for road maintenance, Commission Chairman Dan Holub said.

A perfect day for a parade

The weather was perfect. The crowd was enormous Saturday for the 98th annual Old Settlers’ Day celebration in downtown Marion. This event always impresses me.

Let's recession-proof our towns

The shot heard around Kansas, and our house, last week was the bombshell report that KPERS — Kansas Public Employees Retirement System — was bankrupt. Officials are now saying this was a premature statement. However, KPERS is suffering from the same issues that other companies and individuals have experienced the past several months with a fluctuating stock market and the almighty dollar stretched about as far as it can be.

Marion continues to move forward

After a successful Old Settlers’ Day weekend, it causes us to ponder about our community. Current economic times have made economic development a challenge but the city of Marion continues to position itself for the future.

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Coach, teacher, and friend Bill Pickering remembered through children's books

Bill Pickering loved to play practical jokes. His wife, Margaret Pickering, of Marion, remembers when he would call people, modify his voice, and pretend he was someone else to trick them. Lorie Kirkpatrick, Marion Elementary School’s librarian, remembers one time when she was walking home from school and he turned the sprinklers on her friends and she.

Class learns trade with tools and first-hand

Some students use a pen or a computer to do their work; the students in Lucas King’s construction class use nail guns and power drills. On Thursdya, They worked steadily, studiously measuring and marking the wood precisely where the next cut, nail or screw needed to be placed. The sharp hum of circular saws and drills irregularly swooned through the open air as they worked. The students are on a mission; they are building a house.

Volleyball supper builds team unity

It was a celebration of spicy casseroles and sweet desserts; it was one of the few times the Marion volleyball team has been together off the hardwood. The 16-7 Warriors have had many of their team-building events cut short by a hectic season schedule. On Sept. 23, the team had a simple dinner in the concourse of the gym after practice. The seniors prepared the main course, the juniors the desserts, and the freshmen and sophomores brought chips and vegetables.

MHS students commit to serving community

Students from Marion High School worked on several community service projects Thursday. The service day has become a tradition before Old-Settlers day when thousands of people descend upon the town. Teachers randomly assigned individuals and to the various service projects, which were split between morning and afternoon. Some students participated in painting projects throughout town.

Warrior offensive line gives Sterling royal beating

The Marion kicker/guard won homecoming king. What’s next? Is Matthew McConaughey going to win best actor? Is Kim Jong-Il going to win the Nobel Peace Prize?

Cross-country teams finish third

Jordan Hett has placed at least fifth in every single Marion cross-country race this year. He had one of his best performances Thursday, coming in second only ten seconds behind the leader. However, even that description does not do justice to how close Hett was to winning the race. He made his final push over the stone bridge at Marion County Lake and as he swung around a large tree that marked the final stretch, he could see Goessel’s Jared Reimer closing in on the finish line. The only thing that separated the two runners was a 50-yard patch of grass.

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