Marion County RECORD

Marion County gets world record

Business closure puts city in tight spot

The closure of Arlie’s Paint, Body, and Glass earlier this month poses a big financial risk to the City of Marion unless it can find another business to move into its location, but that relief may come. The city didn’t learn about the closure until after Marion City Council approved the 2013 budget, which included plans to refinance the final payment of the lease-purchase for the property, City Administrator Doug Kjellin said Tuesday. The budget does include funding to pay the full amount outright.

Woman, toddler killed in crash

A head-on collision killed two passengers in a Nissan passenger car Friday at mile marker 322.8, four miles south of Herington, at about 11:43 p.m. on Friday. Bryan K. Alfred, 21 of Junction City drove the Nissan south on U.S. 77. The car veered into the northbound lane and struck a 2008 Chevy pickup truck, according to Kansas Highway Patrolman Ben Gardner and the report submitted by the Kansas Highway patrol. The brunt of the accident was delivered on the passenger side of both vehicles. The Nissan turned around, flipped over completely at least once, and landed in the eastern ditch along the roadway.

Stolen truck recovered, another missing

A pair of pickup trucks were stolen Sunday just north of Marion, but one was quickly recovered. A metallic blue 2012 Chevrolet Silverado and a gray 2002 GMC Sierra, both ½ ton 4x4s, belonging to Jon Thole were stolen sometime between late afternoon and 11 p.m., said Wilma Mueller, investigator for Marion County Sheriff’s Department.

Much-needed rain showers area

A gentle but prolonged rain shower passed through Marion County on Tuesday morning. When Torey Hett checked a weather station at Marion Reservoir at 8 a.m., it showed .21 inches of rain received overnight. By the time the rain ended in the early afternoon, another .48 inches had fallen, bringing the total from the day to almost seven-tenths of an inch.

Fish in danger from drought

A farm pond in rural Hillsboro was the site of a fish decimation on Aug. 6. About 50 fish lined the shores of the murky green water. The smell radiated from the scene like lines of heat burning a putrid, acrid rotting stench deep into the nostrils. The aquatic animals had been dead for a while. Their killer was drought.

Death of business brings new beginning

Arlie Overton hit the brakes and stared into his review mirror as he drove away from the business that bears his name - Arlie’s Paint, Body, and Glass, for the last time. He watched the sliding garage door drop like a slow guillotine in the red glow of his taillights. It felt like a death, but not an execution, more like watching a loved one close their eyes after a three-year bout with cancer.

Pilsen heritage rekindled

When Barefoot Becky and the Ivanhoe Dutchmen struck their first notes Saturday at Pilsen Community Center, young and old alike flocked to the dance floor to renew a tradition as old as Pilsen itself — the wedding polka dance. Alex Stuchlik of Lost Springs once had his own polka band, and often played for wedding and anniversary celebrations in Pilsen. When he and his wife Jean started planning their 50th wedding anniversary celebration, it was natural to draw on tradition.

Paul W. Meysing

Paul W. Meysing, 85, of Pilsen died Aug. 6 at Salem Home in Hillsboro. He was a retired farmer and lifelong resident of Pilsen. He was born Feb. 4., 1927, near Pilsen to Joseph and Mary Reznicek Meysing. He grew up and attended school at Pilsen. He was a member of St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church, Holy Family Parish, at Pilsen and the Knights of Columbus.

Arlene Giesbrecht Trudell

On Dec. 21, 1960, Arlene Giesbrecht came into the world. On Aug. 9, 2012, Arlene Giesbrecht Trudell left the world, leaving it a better place to be and went to be with her Lord and Savior. Arlene was born in Lawton, Okla. She was the daughter of Jonas and Justina Giesbrecht and was raised on the family farm in Hillsboro. She had three siblings on the farm, sister, Karen (Lee) Dirks of Greensburg; brother, Keith (Karen) Giesbrecht of Lakin; and brother, Ken (Shelly) Giesbrecht of Durham.

Eva K. Warkentine

Eva K. Barrett Warkentin of Palo Alto, Calif., died Tuesday. Her parents owned the Marion lumberyard years ago. She graduated from Marion High School in 1933. She married Roy Warkentin. They had two children, Barry and Sue, both of California.

Dorothy Whitcomb

Dorothy E. Whitcomb, 95, of Emporia, formerly of Cedar Point, died August 8 at Emporia Presbyterian Manor. She was born Oct. 25, 1916, to George L. and Enid Alzine Redden Whitcomb near Cedar Point. For a short time she owned and managed a general store in Cedar Point. She graduated from Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia with bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She taught science and math and spent time in California where she attended college. She was a librarian in the Kansas City, Kan., Library for 11 years. She was in charge of the farm accounting from 1936 until 1988, and returned to the family farm in 1976.

Accidents

Civil cases

County jail

Criminal cases

Deeds

Emergency dispatches

Fish and Game

Hillsboro police

Peabody police

Traffic cases

Crossbreeding keeps productivity up

Twenty years ago, more than 56 cow dairies in Marion County were on official milk test rotations with the state dairy herd improvement registry. Now only a handful of farmers make their living with dairy cows in an area once known as the land of milk and honey. With dairy farmers dropping like flies because of low milk payments, high labor costs, and even higher feed costs, it is a wonder that Kent Sterk, Sterk Dairy Inc. southwest of Hillsboro, maintains a positive attitude about the industry.

Cover crops are valuable

Farmer Dean Suderman of rural Hillsboro began using cover crops a few years ago after hearing about them for years at conferences about no-till farming, and he is glad he did. It is difficult to determine the precise return on investment for cover crops, since they aren’t harvested. It’s a little bit easier for farmers who also raise livestock to see direct benefits from grazing.

Additional CRP land approved for use

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency has expanded emergency haying and grazing to additional land covered by the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP). Grass waterways, wetland restoration, rare and declining habitat, and farmable wetlands pilot buffer acreages have been approved for all Kansas counties.

Mid-Kansas Coop donates to 4-H and food

Marion County 4-H Endowment Fund and Marion County Food Bank recently received donations totaling $1,600 from Mid-Kansas Cooperative Assn. Since 2006, MKC has provided funds for area 4-H Leadership Development Programs.

Grazing school taking reservations

Farmers and ranchers are invited to participate in the third annual Eastern Kansas Grazing School, Sept. 12 and 13, at Lyon County Fairgrounds in Emporia. The two-day management intensive grazing (MIG) school will be a hands-on learning experience preparing participants to start their own rotational grazing system with forages adapted to eastern Kansas.

Kansas launches water initiative

The Kansas State Conservation Commission has allocated $500,000 for immediate assistance to Kansas livestock producers through a cost-share program to improve existing livestock water supplies. Pastures that currently have limited or no existing water supplies are the primary targets for this initiative. Project applications should focus on restoration of existing ponds, well development, spring development or other water storage projects.

Tower appeal filed

Darvin Markley filed an appeal to the City of Marion on the administrative decision by City Administrator Doug Kjellin about the Marion County radio tower planned to be installed as an accessory structure to the county jail building. Markley said that Kjellin did not have the authority under zoning regulations to make a decision without the motion being placed to the proper board and the evidence presented.

County to rent asphalt grinder

Marion County Commission approved a rental agreement with Van Koppel for a street grinder on Monday. The agreement is for $4,000 a week. The grinder is needed because the Road and Bridge Department grinder owned by the county needs to have a motor replaced. Work is set to begin on Remington Road and a grinder is a necessary tool for that job, Road and Bridge Superintendent Randy Crawford said.

Correcting a serious error

I need to fess up to a serious error I made two weeks ago. When I learned that County Commissioner Dan Holub had launched into a long rant July 31 about a proposed radio tower, I insisted — though it was well past our deadline — that we include in our coverage of the meeting whatever of his rant our reporter could accurately recall. I specifically asked that our reporter include Holub’s accusation that I had practiced “yellow journalism” and any specific denials he had made about anything that had appeared in our news coverage or editorials.

Surprise! There's more to online ordinances

For those keeping score at home, we are pleased to report that the City of Marion did, indeed, publish on its website the two ordinances it said it would last week. One ordinance was publicly billed as “incorporating by reference the ‘Uniform Public Offense Code for Kansas Cities.” You might expect to find merely a recitation of that code. In fact, the online version contains much more than was stated in the published summary.

Educational lip service

An impossibly short summer has come to a very abrupt end. It has been a summer of baseball and softball, of swim team and traveling, and of video games, late nights, and summer jobs. Tomorrow morning parents will work at motivating their children to get out the door on time, students will grab their backpacks, and the unmarked intersections north and south of Main Street will not be safe to traverse until classes at the high school have started. Teachers will arrive ready to welcome the students, explain the expectations for the year, and dive into preparing the minds that will guide our country in the not so distant future.

GUEST COMMENTARY:

Old Settlers' Day to focus on library

Marion Kiwanis Club has announced that the theme for Old Settlers’ Day for 2012 will be “Marion City Library: Opening Books and Minds for 100 Years.” This year marks 10 years that the library has been in the former railroad depot, which is itself 100 years old.

CPR class on Saturday

Training in bystander CPR, first aid, and automatic external defibrillator operation will be available Saturday in the St. Luke Clinic basement in Marion. St. Luke Hospital and Marion County Emergency Medical Service are sponsoring the class, which will begin at 8:30 a.m. It will last about six hours, plus a one-hour break for lunch.

Chamber serves breakfast at school

About 100 USD 408 teachers and support staff had a breakfast of egg casserole, muffins, fresh fruit, coffee, and juice Monday morning at the annual Chamber-School Breakfast, sponsored by Marion Chamber of Commerce. Don Molleker and Michelle Adkins were winners of a drawing for chamber of commerce gift checks, organizer Linda Carlson said.

TEEN meets tonight

The Technology Excellence in Education Network will have its regular meeting at 6 p.m. tonight at the USD 408 district office, 101 N. Thorp St., Marion. Call Brandi Hendrix at (620) 877-0237 for more information.

Photographer turns over final project

Early in his decades-long career as a photographer, Les Broadstreet of Marion took photos of sainthood candidate Father Emil Kapaun at his ordination and in his U.S. Army uniform before Kapaun was deployed to the Korean War, where he died in a prisoner of war camp. Broadstreet has designed a collage featuring his photos of Kapaun and photos of Kapaun in Korea as his final photography project. Last week Broadstreet turned over distribution of the collages to Holy Family Catholic Parish. The church is preparing to sell copies of the collage mounted for easy framing as a fundraiser for the Father Kapaun Building Fund, which helps pay for improvements to St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Pilsen.

Upcoming events

Blood drive is Monday

There will be a blood drive from 2:15 to 6:45 p.m. Monday at Eastmoor United Methodist Church, 105 Eastmoor, Marion. Donors may schedule an appointment by calling (800) 733-2767. Donors age 16 to 21 may be eligible for a $5,000 scholarship.

Girl Scout registration Aug. 22

Girl Scout registration for Marion girls in kindergarten through grade 12 will be 3:30 to 5 p.m., Aug. 22, at Eastmoor United Methodist Church. For more information, call Ann Carr at (620) 382-2394.

Tampa embraces Trail Shop goal

David Mueller presented information Aug. 8 at farmers market about Trail Shop, the grocery/convenience store planned for Tampa’s restored downtown. This project is a community effort; the goal is to sell 100 shares of stock in the not-for-profit corporation by Friday. Annual memberships are also available. Some of the items expected to be for sale are bread, milk, frozen meat, pop, snack foods, basic need items, and fresh fruit formerly handled by Wee Little Acres.

Retired minister turning 90

Today is Helen Fulton’s 90th birthday. Fulton, of Salina, celebrated with her family earlier in El Dorado at the home of her daughter, Jeanna and her husband Dale Short, along with son, Dennis Fulton and his wife Janette of Jetmore. She was born in Lamar, Colo., and spent time growing up in Talmage and Herington. She graduated from Chapman High School in 1940 and spent several years teaching in rural schools.

Heerey turns 80

Charles Heerey of Marion was born Aug. 20, 1932. He will celebrate his 80th birthday Aug. 20. He and his wife, Virginia, have three children, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

McGinness celebrates 90 years

Friends and family of Ed McGinness gathered Saturday at St. Luke Living Center in Marion to celebrate his 90th birthday. Several of the guests were his classmates from school in Aulne.

Frederick Hamm descendants reunite

Family descendants of Frederick and Julianne Hamm gathered Sunday for a reunion hosted by the Schattak family at Marion County Lake Hall. Descendants of Ed Hamm in attendance: Clayton and Wanda Hamm of Marion; Terry Hamm, Alan & Bonnie Hamm, Duane and Shirley Hamm, Candy Tucker and Gary Reno of Hillsboro; Nick, Rebecca and Derek McLaughlin of Lehigh; and Clinton and Maxine Hamm of Newton.

Settle appointed to propane council

Craig Settle of Hillsboro, president of Cardie Oil and vice president of Shawmar Oil and Gas Company, has been appointed to the Kansas Propane Education and Research Council by Gov. Sam Brownback, the governor’s office announced Monday. The council develops programs to promote consumer and employee safety and training, as well as providing research to improve propane technology.

Vinduska to lead Mass

Father Aaron Vinduska, formerly of the Pilsen area, will celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Pilsen and possibly other Masses “The hope is that he will be able to celebrate all three weekend Masses,” Holy Family Parish secretary Rose Davidson said Tuesday.

CORRESPONDENTS:

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WEDDING:

USD 408 approves $9.6M budget

The $9.6 million 2012-13 budget approved Monday by USD 408 Board of Education reflects the balancing act between decreasing state funding and being responsive to the burden of local taxpayers. “What we can control I feel very comfortable in,” Board President Chris Sprowls said. “We don’t have any idea where the state is going to go after this year.

Centre introduces new teachers and staff

The 2012-13 school year begins Thusday at Centre schools with several new faces in leadership positions. Bethany Lewis

Open house highlights improvements

An open house Aug. 24 at Centre schools will give community members an opportunity to view improvements that were made to the facilities during the summer. These improvements include new carpeting in several classrooms, new paint and windows in the main gymnasium, a renovated Centre Perk concession stand in the high school commons area, and new windows in the ag/industrial arts building.

Butler offers adult classes

Butler Community College of Marion Director Amy Kjellin gave a presentation to Kiwanis about programs offered at the college Tuesday. She talked to the group about the 11 non-credit classes offered this fall starting on Sept. 13 and running through Oct. 30.

Boyces blitz paddle boat competition

If competitors in the first Marion County Lake Paddle Boat Race had a common complaint, it was one race organizer Maggie Nichols liked to hear. “The most negative comment we heard was that it was too short,” Nichols said. “We hope we have a few more next year so we can have heats and then run the heats off, so we can have more races that way.”

Runners add to record turnout

What a difference a year makes. Last summer’s edition of the Mothers of Preschoolers “Run for Your Momma” half-marathon and 5K races had hot temperatures and a pre-race storm to blame for the lowest turnout in the three years the event has been held.

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