Marion County RECORD

HEADLINES

Storms cause outages, injuries
Ten people were injured Friday when a violent thunderstorm packing 60 mph winds swept across Marion Reservoir and flipped over three recreational vehicles in a campground at Cottonwood Point II. All were treated at area hospitals and had been released by Saturday.
Residents without power until 2 a.m.
Storms blowing through Marion County Friday night caused two outages, leaving more than 500 residents without power. Westar Energy Senior Communications Director Leonard Allen said that 240 Westar customers at Marion County Lake and Florence were without power until 2 a.m. Saturday.
USD 408 board OKs budget
With the reality that taxes will be raised to offset the state’s decrease of aid per student setting in, the USD 408 Board of Education approved the budget for the 2010-11 school year. The district will have a general fund of $4,437,272. Kansas’ state aid per student went down to $4,012 from $4,218 a year ago. Factoring in vocational, at risk, transportation, and special education students USD 408 has a weighted enrollment of 1,106. The district’s actual enrollment is 579 students.
County calls jail ruling unfair
Marion County commissioners questioned the fairness of the State Fire Marshal’s ruling that the county jail may only hold four inmates or that 24-hour fire watch must be provided. Commission Chairman Randy Dallke said he realized the fire marshal has different priorities than the county.
Commissioners hear plan for lake cabins
Siblings Chris and Heather Holub presented a proposal for cabins at Marion County Park and Lake to County Commission Monday. Commissioner Dan Holub recused himself from the discussion, because Chris and Heather Holub are two of his children. He did say the proposal wasn’t his idea.
Preparation is key to good BBQ
There is a “no smoking” sign on the front door of Nuttin Butt Good BBQ in Marion, but the sign doesn’t apply to the meat cooking outside. Gale Cooper of Marion had to stop working as a welder in 2004 because of back and knee problems. When he got tired of not working, he decided to turn his interest in barbecue into a business. It began with catering and recently expanded to include the restaurant at 708 N. Cedar St.
Race for moms brings father, son together
For the past three years, Drew O’Neill has been running long distances competitively, and Rick O’Neill has been tagging along. Drew was the first to cross the finish line of the Run For Your Momma half marathon race — 13 and a half miles — Saturday at Marion County Lake. The 22-year-old finished the race with a time of 1 hour, 24 minutes, which was a new personal best.

DEATHS

Carolyn Fred
Carolyn Virginia (Spencer) Fred, 96, of Fort Morgan, Colo., died Aug. 9, 2010 at her home. She was born March 3, 1914, in Greenfield, Ark., to Robert L. and Cora Mason (Teague) Spencer. She graduated in 1935 from Missouri Baptist School of Nursing in St. Louis and worked as a registered nurse in St. Louis; Cedar Falls, Iowa; and in Elgin, DeKalb, and Sycamore, Ill.
Jack Loomis
Jack LeRoy Loomis, age 55, of Beloit and Ionia, died Aug. 15 at his trailer house on the family farm in Ionia. He was born Oct. 2, 1954, in the Community Hospital in Beloit. Jack was the son of John and Cleo Loomis.
Raymond Oursler
Raymond E. Oursler, 97, of Marion, died Aug. 11 at Salem Home of Hillsboro. Born March 29, 1913, at Newton, to Tom and Nina (Caldwell) Oursler, he was a conductor for Santa Fe Railroad.
John Padgett
John C. Padgett, 71, of Florence, died Aug. 15 at his home. He was born July 4, 1939, near Newton, to Curtis and Elizabeth (Gronau) Padgett. The family moved to Florence when he was 4 years old.
Connie Reid
Connie Mae Reid, 42, of Jerusalem, Ark., died Aug. 7 at Conway Regional Health System, Conway, Ark. Born May 15, 1968, in Sedan, to Durward and Jeris Dodson, she grew up in Moline and Americus. She graduated in 1986 from Chase County High School in Cottonwood Falls.
Ginger Richter
Ginger Lynn Richter, 57, of Florence, died Aug. 14 at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, Wichita. Born Jan. 30, 1953, in Marion, to William and Juanita Helmer, she graduated from Marion High School.
Barbara Rockhold
Barbara J. Rockhold, 73, of Marion, died Aug. 10 at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice Unit at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, Wichita. She was a longtime resident of Chase County, and had lived in Marion the past few years.
Bertha Schroeder
Goessel homemaker Bertha Adina Schroeder, 98, died Aug. 11 at Bethesda Home, Goessel. She was born April 4, 1912, to Henry F. and Martha (Schmidt) Goertz, in rural Walton.
Heather Shaw
Heather Rene (Fitzpatrick) Shaw, 35, of Wichita, died Aug. 7. She grew up in Valley Center and was a certified nurse’s aide with Staffmark employment agency.
Jessica Webb
Jessica “Jessie” Nichole Webb, 16, of Altoona, Iowa, died Aug. 11. Born Feb. 21, 1994 to Doug and Wendy Webb, in Topeka, she was a student at Southeast Polk High School.
Lois Weber
Lois M. Weber, 84, died Aug. 15 at Parkside Homes, Hillsboro. She was born March 24, 1926, on a farm near Marion, to Clarence and Mabel (Ashdown) Bell.

DOCKET

GOVERNMENT

Commissioner updates council
Commissioner Dan Holub informed the council Aug. 2 that Limestone Road south from Tampa likely will be repaired the week of Aug. 9. The county will repair the holes that have developed and a construction company will chip and seal it within a day following the patching. The contractor is trying to repair an inadequate chip and seal job done previously. The county is waiting for state approval of a low-interest loan for the road west of Tampa to K-15. If approved, they will solicit bids for a 6-inch asphalt overlay on that road.

OTHER NEWS

Marion's mYac youth center may be ready by first home game
The Marion Youth Center could be open as early as Sept. 10, the date of the first home football game, Economic Development Director Doug Kjellin said. Five large tasks must be completed before opening: tinning the roof, painting the floor and walls, putting up lights, and moving in furniture.
Ramona officials put teeth into ordinances
Ramona City Council passed an ordinance in 2009 to establish a municipal court to address city ordinance violations. The first court session was Thursday at Ramona Senior Center. “The council wants to send a message around town that ordinances do matter,” Mayor Pat Wick said. “Towns have ordinances. People who don’t want to cooperate, come to towns with fewer rules.”
Cell phone calls to 911 rise
After seven months, cell phone calls to 911 have increased 10 percent from 2009. Including the first part of August, cell phones have accounted for 68 percent of calls to Marion County Emergency Communications Department. In 2009, cell phones were used in 58 percent of 911 calls.
Ambulance service faces volunteer shortage
The Peabody ambulance crew is struggling to find emergency medical technicians to be on call at all hours, Marion County Emergency Medical Service Director Steve Smith told county commissioners Aug. 9. An ambulance service needs one EMT-Basic to go on every call, he said. The other responder can be a first responder.

OPINION

Is county prepared for disasters?
Friday night was a good test of how prepared Marion County emergency personnel are in a disaster. Training is great but nothing is a substitute for the real thing.
Let kids be kids
Much to parents’ delight and children’s dismay, school begins today. It’s that time again when drivers need to be attentive to students crossing streets and children not paying attention — you know, being children.
Hope in the Heartland
Two separate paths led to two completely different rides. One path led to a plastic “log” which would gently float down a waterway, be pulled up a steep hill, and then plunge down the other side — splashing into water at the bottom.
LETTERS:
Lake residents appreciate road work, Volunteers appreciated, Football team helps MAC

PEOPLE

Jelly maker finds bumper crop of wild fruit
In decades of picking wild sandhill plums, Letty Enns of rural Durham had never been so fortunate as to be able to sit in the air conditioning while she picked fruit to make into jelly. Not until Saturday, that is. Enns and neighbors Helen Penner and George Schutte went out Saturday morning to pick sandhill plums on the edges of hay fields. When Enns drove her pickup truck through a gap between wooded areas, she noticed there was a thicket within arm’s reach.
CORRESPONDENTS:
Burdick, Senior Center, Tampa
ENGAGEMENTS:
Looney-Johnson
MEMORIES:
10, 25, 35, 50, 60, 100, 125 years ago

SCHOOL

New teachers bring new ideas to classrooms
New MES teacher brings experience, adaptability By BEN KLEINE Staff writer Jona Neufeld didn’t know there was a job opening when she inquired about a teaching position at Marion Elementary School this spring.

SPORTS

Youth triathlon nearly full
Children from as far away as Oklahoma and Missouri have registered for the third annual Triple Threat Youth Triathlon Aug. 28 in Hillsboro. “It shows there is a lack of youth triathlons for them to compete in,” organizer Anna Woods said.
KSU walk-on makes team
On his last day of summer workouts, former Goessel High School standout and KSU walk-on Weston Hiebert walked into his coach’s office and learned that he had made the 120-man roster for the Kansas State University football team. However, he did not make the camp team that was going to continue to practice July 28 through the start of classes.

Marion County RECORD

Ten people were injured Friday when a violent thunderstorm packing 60 mph winds swept across Marion Reservoir and flipped over three recreational vehicles in a campground at Cottonwood Point II. All were treated at area hospitals and had been released by Saturday.

Storms blowing through Marion County Friday night caused two outages, leaving more than 500 residents without power. Westar Energy Senior Communications Director Leonard Allen said that 240 Westar customers at Marion County Lake and Florence were without power until 2 a.m. Saturday.

Marion County commissioners questioned the fairness of the State Fire Marshal’s ruling that the county jail may only hold four inmates or that 24-hour fire watch must be provided. Commission Chairman Randy Dallke said he realized the fire marshal has different priorities than the county.

Siblings Chris and Heather Holub presented a proposal for cabins at Marion County Park and Lake to County Commission Monday. Commissioner Dan Holub recused himself from the discussion, because Chris and Heather Holub are two of his children. He did say the proposal wasn’t his idea.

Jack LeRoy Loomis, age 55, of Beloit and Ionia, died Aug. 15 at his trailer house on the family farm in Ionia. He was born Oct. 2, 1954, in the Community Hospital in Beloit. Jack was the son of John and Cleo Loomis.

Raymond E. Oursler, 97, of Marion, died Aug. 11 at Salem Home of Hillsboro. Born March 29, 1913, at Newton, to Tom and Nina (Caldwell) Oursler, he was a conductor for Santa Fe Railroad.

John C. Padgett, 71, of Florence, died Aug. 15 at his home. He was born July 4, 1939, near Newton, to Curtis and Elizabeth (Gronau) Padgett. The family moved to Florence when he was 4 years old.

Connie Mae Reid, 42, of Jerusalem, Ark., died Aug. 7 at Conway Regional Health System, Conway, Ark. Born May 15, 1968, in Sedan, to Durward and Jeris Dodson, she grew up in Moline and Americus. She graduated in 1986 from Chase County High School in Cottonwood Falls.

Ginger Lynn Richter, 57, of Florence, died Aug. 14 at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, Wichita. Born Jan. 30, 1953, in Marion, to William and Juanita Helmer, she graduated from Marion High School.

Barbara J. Rockhold, 73, of Marion, died Aug. 10 at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice Unit at Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis Campus, Wichita. She was a longtime resident of Chase County, and had lived in Marion the past few years.

Goessel homemaker Bertha Adina Schroeder, 98, died Aug. 11 at Bethesda Home, Goessel. She was born April 4, 1912, to Henry F. and Martha (Schmidt) Goertz, in rural Walton.

Heather Rene (Fitzpatrick) Shaw, 35, of Wichita, died Aug. 7. She grew up in Valley Center and was a certified nurse’s aide with Staffmark employment agency.

Jessica “Jessie” Nichole Webb, 16, of Altoona, Iowa, died Aug. 11. Born Feb. 21, 1994 to Doug and Wendy Webb, in Topeka, she was a student at Southeast Polk High School.

Lois M. Weber, 84, died Aug. 15 at Parkside Homes, Hillsboro. She was born March 24, 1926, on a farm near Marion, to Clarence and Mabel (Ashdown) Bell.

The Marion Youth Center could be open as early as Sept. 10, the date of the first home football game, Economic Development Director Doug Kjellin said. Five large tasks must be completed before opening: tinning the roof, painting the floor and walls, putting up lights, and moving in furniture.

After seven months, cell phone calls to 911 have increased 10 percent from 2009. Including the first part of August, cell phones have accounted for 68 percent of calls to Marion County Emergency Communications Department. In 2009, cell phones were used in 58 percent of 911 calls.

Friday night was a good test of how prepared Marion County emergency personnel are in a disaster. Training is great but nothing is a substitute for the real thing.

Much to parents’ delight and children’s dismay, school begins today. It’s that time again when drivers need to be attentive to students crossing streets and children not paying attention — you know, being children.

Two separate paths led to two completely different rides. One path led to a plastic “log” which would gently float down a waterway, be pulled up a steep hill, and then plunge down the other side — splashing into water at the bottom.

LETTERS:

CORRESPONDENTS:

ENGAGEMENTS:

MEMORIES:

New MES teacher brings experience, adaptability By BEN KLEINE Staff writer Jona Neufeld didn’t know there was a job opening when she inquired about a teaching position at Marion Elementary School this spring.

Children from as far away as Oklahoma and Missouri have registered for the third annual Triple Threat Youth Triathlon Aug. 28 in Hillsboro. “It shows there is a lack of youth triathlons for them to compete in,” organizer Anna Woods said.