Marion County RECORD

HEADLINES

H1N1 vaccine arrives in Marion County
But will anybody want it? By SUSAN BERG Managing editor There are some residents who are more afraid of the H1N1 vaccine than the virus itself.
USD 408 may join Schools for Fair Funding
Hillsboro USD 410 Board of Education voted Monday to join Schools for Fair Funding, a group that successfully sued the State of Kansas for more school funding in 2005. The organization wants to re-open the lawsuit because of funding cuts. Centre, Goessel, Marion, and Peabody-Burns school boards discussed joining but took no action.
County food bank sees more families in need
Volunteers at Marion County Food Bank have encountered more Marion County families in need of assistance in recent months, coordinator Janet Bryant said. Bryant worries about the increasing number of people who are repeat clients, and many have lost jobs, she said.
Jean Case is a cancer survivor, offers hope to others
It was a difficult time in Jean Case’s life. She had watched her husband suffer — albeit quietly — from pancreatic cancer; he died a mere 15 months after his initial diagnosis.
Rheumatologist joins Hillsboro hospital
A rheumatologist is more of a detective than a physician. It is his or her task to take a symptom as subjective as pain and mold it into a stone-cold diagnosis. Starting on Oct. 8, rheumatologist Dr. James Anderson has been taking appointments the second Thursday of every month at Hillsboro Community Hospital’s Specialty Clinic, seeing patients with more than 100 types of arthritis, lupus, and other immune diseases.
Patients put hearts into working out
Since May 1, some patients with heart problems at St. Luke Hospital have been going through cardiac rehabilitation training. Ruth Viets had surgery to clear plaque from her arteries. She had also recently fallen and broken her arm before she started cardiac training.
Parents key in fight against child obesity
Parents have a tremendous influence on the health of their children, including whether children are overweight or obese, Nita Bittle of St. Luke Physician Clinic of Marion says. The certified physician assistant said obesity puts children at risk for numerous health problems, including diabetes and sleep disorders.
Waldeck country school reunion evokes many memories
At least 36 alumni, 15 spouses, and three teachers of the former Waldeck School gathered Oct. 3 at Lehigh to reminisce. The school, located about three miles northwest of Lehigh at present-day 240th and Chisholm Trail roads, was in operation from 1889 through the 1955-56 session.
Couple preserves historic property
When Steve and Glenda Schmidt of McPherson bought the southeast quarter of Section 4 in Lehigh Township in 2000, they bought more history than they knew. They thought they were buying a remnant of the Santa Fe Trail that passed through the property from 1822-1866. Upon further research, Schmidt, president of the Cottonwood Crossing Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association, discovered a country school had been located on the property. Looking further back in time, he discovered the area is surrounded by history.

DOCKET

DEATHS

Viola Barker
Viola Fae Barker, 86, died Oct. 12 at Asbury Park in Newton. Born May 26, 1923, in Newton to Robert and Edna (Johnson) Work, she was married Nov. 2, 1947, to Morris D. Barker in Wichita.
JoHanna Beltz
JoHanna Beltz, 93, died Oct. 6 at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro. Born Dec. 8, 1915, in Corn, Okla., to John G. and Elizabeth (Hiebert) Richert, she was married Aug. 3, 1942, to Clifford Beltz in Corn, Okla.
Fred King
Friends in Marion will be saddened to learn of the death of former resident, Dr. Fred W. King of Sacramento, Calif. King died Oct. 10 at the age of 92. A complete obituary will follow.
Orlean Neufeld
Orlean K. Neufeld, 89, formerly of Durham, died Oct. 8 at Hospice House in Hutchinson. Born Dec. 9, 1919, in Okeene, Okla., to Fred and Esther (Herbel) Geis, she was a graduate of Durham High School.
Victor Plett
Victor K. Plett, 91, formerly of Lehigh, died Oct. 2 in Tacoma, Wash. Born Dec. 21, 1917, in rural Lehigh to Abraham and Tina Plett, he was married in 1939 to Elda Winter.
Maurice Stroda
Maurice Stroda, 82, of Ramona died Oct. 13 at Mercy Regional Medical Center, Manhattan. A Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. with visitation to follow at Zeiner Funeral Home, Marion.
Luella Harp
Luella Norton was born Sept. 20, 1924, in Burns, to Floyd and Ada (Draper) Norton. Siblings were her two older brothers, Melvin and Keith. Luella grew up in Peabody, graduating from Peabody High School in 1942. Her father passed away when she was a senior in high school. She and her mother moved to Wichita, where she worked to help support them.
Kevin Hamm
Kevin Dale Hamm, 50, of Austin, Texas, passed away early morning July 20, 2009, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Kevin was witty and loved making others laugh, forming friendships everywhere he went.

GOVERNMENT

Ambulance calls continue record pace
Marion County Emergency Medical Services responded to 115 calls for ambulances in September, keeping the agency on pace for a record-setting year. EMS responded to 103 calls in Sept. 2008, when it set a county record of 1,151 calls in a year. Through Sept. 2008, EMS went on 848 calls. This year that number was 869.
Courts system changes still leaves $8 million deficit
An announcement in Topeka Thursday revealed that, so far this year, the state court system’s $15.9 million budget shortfall has prompted judges from 18 counties to limit the hours of public access to the office of the clerk of district court. The 18 counties are in addition to 15 counties that previously were granted Supreme Court permission to close early because of chronic understaffing. During the closed hours, clerk’s office employees focus on filing papers and making computer data entries for case events and actions.
'Cap-and-trade' bill could be costly for Kansas cities
A proposed “cap-and-trade” bill at the federal level could cost local consumers hundreds of dollars per year, Kansas Municipal Utilities Executive Director Colin Hansen said Friday. Hillsboro and Marion representatives participated in an online seminar with Hansen, along with representatives from several other cities.
Commission to meet with mayors
Marion County Commission is scheduled to meet with mayors of all cities in the county to discuss Marion County Economic Development Council bylaws. There are two important issues relating to the bylaws, Commission Chairman Dan Holub said: apportioning votes among the cities and council autonomy.

OPINION

Premature accolades?
There’s a buzz right now as to whether President Obama deserved the Nobel Peace Prize. According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the selection process for this year’s winner began in September 2008 when invitation letters were sent to those qualified to nominate. Obama was elected to the presidency in November 2008 and took office Jan. 5.
Create more sunshine for financial institutions
In 1913 when Louis Brandeis, later a justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, first wrote of the disinfecting power of sunlight, he was discussing the impact of public disclosure on the growing power of financial combinations in the securities market. “Publicity is justly commended as a remedy for social and industrial diseases,” he wrote, recommending the sunlight of full disclosure as the remedy.
Raise your hand, get active
With Marion City Council faced with the challenge of filling six vacated seats on the city’s planning commission and board of zoning appeals, I hope the council sees this as an opportunity. There are people in the community who would like an opportunity to serve on a civic board such as this but they need to be asked.
LETTERS:
Just breathe, Small-town America, Gratitude to city, others, Food Bank, Thank You to Tampa
COLUMNS:
Another Day in the Country, Random Thoughts

PEOPLE

BIRTHS:
Faith Lynnae Wiebe
CORRESPONDENTS:
Burdick, Senior Center
MEMORIES:
10, 25, 35, 50, 60, 100, 125 years ago

SCHOOL

Marion FFA team places first in land judging contest
On Oct. 7, more than 20 schools sent their FFA teams to Marion for the South Central Area Land Judging contest. Marion High School finished first as a team. Individually, Nick Klenda finished second with 346 points, Eric Vogel was sixth with 313, and Jessie Taylor was ninth with 309.
Competition, requirements for scholarships are immense
Students applying for scholarships need to have good grades, considerable community experience and extra-curricular activities on their resumes. And, it is not enough just to participate students need to show leadership in those activities.
USD 408 board members decide student can graduate early
Josh Gayle wants to graduate a semester early from Marion High School. On Monday, he pleaded his case in front of the Marion Board Education.
MHS cheerleaders are a small but steadfast group
Among the generous gathering of Warrior faithful who made the 90-minute trek to Ellinwood on Friday, were the Marion High School cheerleaders. Many were bundled in brightly colored red and blue jackets, but the six girls — EmmaLee Hett, Heather Fine, Mikaela Fredrickson, Taylor Harms, Ashley Buckner and Lindsey Maytum — braved the cold to cheer for the crowd.

SPORTS

Warrior football team stomps Ellinwood 41-0
The Warrior defense dominated from the beginning of the first quarter on Friday in Ellinwood. Four minutes into the game Colton Johnson dropped back into zone coverage and intercepted a pass from Eagle quarterback Kyle Corbett. Johnson then returned the pick 30 yards for a touchdown.
Warriors defeat Lyons, Haven in Tuesday night tournament
The Marion volleyball team handled Lyons and Haven easily Tuesday for senior night. The Warriors gained the momentum in their first match against Lyons by consistently putting serves together.
CENTRE:
Cougars experience another 8-man thriller, Centre school district installs security equipment at schools, Centre girls finish 1-1 at parents' night triangular

Marion County RECORD

But will anybody want it? By SUSAN BERG Managing editor There are some residents who are more afraid of the H1N1 vaccine than the virus itself.

Volunteers at Marion County Food Bank have encountered more Marion County families in need of assistance in recent months, coordinator Janet Bryant said. Bryant worries about the increasing number of people who are repeat clients, and many have lost jobs, she said.

It was a difficult time in Jean Case’s life. She had watched her husband suffer — albeit quietly — from pancreatic cancer; he died a mere 15 months after his initial diagnosis.

Since May 1, some patients with heart problems at St. Luke Hospital have been going through cardiac rehabilitation training. Ruth Viets had surgery to clear plaque from her arteries. She had also recently fallen and broken her arm before she started cardiac training.

At least 36 alumni, 15 spouses, and three teachers of the former Waldeck School gathered Oct. 3 at Lehigh to reminisce. The school, located about three miles northwest of Lehigh at present-day 240th and Chisholm Trail roads, was in operation from 1889 through the 1955-56 session.

Viola Fae Barker, 86, died Oct. 12 at Asbury Park in Newton. Born May 26, 1923, in Newton to Robert and Edna (Johnson) Work, she was married Nov. 2, 1947, to Morris D. Barker in Wichita.

JoHanna Beltz, 93, died Oct. 6 at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro. Born Dec. 8, 1915, in Corn, Okla., to John G. and Elizabeth (Hiebert) Richert, she was married Aug. 3, 1942, to Clifford Beltz in Corn, Okla.

Friends in Marion will be saddened to learn of the death of former resident, Dr. Fred W. King of Sacramento, Calif. King died Oct. 10 at the age of 92. A complete obituary will follow.

Orlean K. Neufeld, 89, formerly of Durham, died Oct. 8 at Hospice House in Hutchinson. Born Dec. 9, 1919, in Okeene, Okla., to Fred and Esther (Herbel) Geis, she was a graduate of Durham High School.

Victor K. Plett, 91, formerly of Lehigh, died Oct. 2 in Tacoma, Wash. Born Dec. 21, 1917, in rural Lehigh to Abraham and Tina Plett, he was married in 1939 to Elda Winter.

Maurice Stroda, 82, of Ramona died Oct. 13 at Mercy Regional Medical Center, Manhattan. A Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m. with visitation to follow at Zeiner Funeral Home, Marion.

Kevin Dale Hamm, 50, of Austin, Texas, passed away early morning July 20, 2009, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Kevin was witty and loved making others laugh, forming friendships everywhere he went.

Marion County Commission is scheduled to meet with mayors of all cities in the county to discuss Marion County Economic Development Council bylaws. There are two important issues relating to the bylaws, Commission Chairman Dan Holub said: apportioning votes among the cities and council autonomy.

LETTERS:

COLUMNS:

BIRTHS:

CORRESPONDENTS:

MEMORIES:

On Oct. 7, more than 20 schools sent their FFA teams to Marion for the South Central Area Land Judging contest. Marion High School finished first as a team. Individually, Nick Klenda finished second with 346 points, Eric Vogel was sixth with 313, and Jessie Taylor was ninth with 309.

Students applying for scholarships need to have good grades, considerable community experience and extra-curricular activities on their resumes. And, it is not enough just to participate students need to show leadership in those activities.

Josh Gayle wants to graduate a semester early from Marion High School. On Monday, he pleaded his case in front of the Marion Board Education.

The Warrior defense dominated from the beginning of the first quarter on Friday in Ellinwood. Four minutes into the game Colton Johnson dropped back into zone coverage and intercepted a pass from Eagle quarterback Kyle Corbett. Johnson then returned the pick 30 yards for a touchdown.

The Marion volleyball team handled Lyons and Haven easily Tuesday for senior night. The Warriors gained the momentum in their first match against Lyons by consistently putting serves together.

CENTRE: