HEADLINES

  • 'Brain blobs' lurk in lake water

    Strange “blobs” linger in the waters of Marion County Lake, gobbling up things unseen. Marion resident Rick LeShure encountered some with 4-year-old son, Lucas, and girlfriend Brandi Bosley on Aug. 8 at the swimming area.

  • Detour leads to dog days on highway

    While some businesses along Main St. in Marion have experienced a boon from the influx of traffic brought in by a detour along US-56, those who relied on highway traffic to thrive are thirsting for patronage. Superior Wine and Liquor owner David Yates chiefly among them, business owners cite a lack of communication from the city and what they see as an unnecessary closure of Timber Rd. to thru traffic.

  • US-56 detour still on schedule for Sept. reopening

    The initial intent of the closure at Timber Rd. and US-56 was to satisfy citizen concerns over safety hazards brought about by increased traffic there, city officials said at the time. That’s the narrative they’re sticking to, even in the face of criticism from business owners along the highway who believe Timber Rd. should have remained open.

  • Market opens, baked goods disappear

    Jenny Lee had an excuse to look tired Saturday afternoon, if she wanted one. By 1 p.m., the owner of Flint Hills Market and Bakery in Florence had already put in a full workday, and had six more hours to go. But she was upbeat and relaxed as she looked at bare shelves and cases that earlier were filled with bread, doughnuts, cinnamon rolls, and pies. The last loaf of bread, sourdough, had just disappeared.

  • Marion moves in to Newsweek's top 250 schools list

    Marion High School seems to be training a tribe of college-bound academic warriors. At 249th out of 500, Marion ascended 90 places on Newsweek magazine’s 2015 overall list of top high schools in America. MHS was 339th in 2014.

  • County resolves FACT funding

    A controversy last fall over funding for Families and Communities Together was settled by county commissioners Monday. In August, health department administrator Diedre Serene asked to remove $6,000 earmarked for FACT from her budget.

  • Missing man baffles officials

    Despite an intense search covering 200 square miles of territory around Peabody, distribution of hundreds of fliers, television coverage, and alerts to state and national agencies, Gale “Ralph” Keilman remains a man who has gone missing. Keilman left Peabody Health and Rehab Aug. 17 by going over a tall wood slab fence surrounding a patio used by facility residents.

OTHER HEADLINES

  • Weekly classes offer entrepreneurial advice

    Wendy Veatch says it’s time to stop working in your business, and start working on it. Veatch, in her position as director of outreach programming for Wichita State University, is recruiting entrepreneurs for an 11-week class that will be taught in Marion.

  • State offers unpaid tax amnesty

    Taxpayers who owe Kansas individual or business tax debt may qualify to have penalties and interest waved if they pay before Oct. 15. Those with tax debt accrued before Dec. 31, 2013, can apply for the tax amnesty program. Debt matters that are under appeal are not eligible.

  • Labor Day celebration headliners announced

    Florence’s 78th annual Labor Day celebration begins Sept. 5. Evening entertainment will feature Matt Engels and the Callahan Band. Free face painting, henna tattoos, and caricature drawings will be available downtown from 6 to 9 p.m. for those who have a Labor Day button. A new booth will feature an artist airbrushing designs on T-shirts. Plain white T-shirts can be purchased for $5.

  • Sept. to be Kansas 'Preparedness Month'

    September will be “Preparedness Month” in Kansas starting Aug. 28 with a focus on helping Kansans prepare to deal with disasters. Marion County emergency management director Randy Frank said the reason for the proclamation “is so it’s there to help people get reengaged with how to prepare for severe storms, tornadoes, and winter storms.”

  • License suspension can now be checked online

    Drivers with suspended licenses can now keep track of correspondence with the Kansas Division of Vehicles online for free. The status check is updated Monday through Friday. It shows if a license is suspended, revoked, canceled, or has restrictions.

DEATHS

  • Donald Funk

    Donald L. Funk, 80, Hillsboro, died Aug. 18 at Hillsboro Community Hospital. He was born May 2, 1935, to Benjamin and Esther (Leppke) Funk in Hillsboro.

  • John Masson

    John Masson, 73, died Aug. 20 at Salem Home in Hillsboro. He was predeceased by his wife, Lenora May Collier, in 2008.

  • Gregory Trapp

    Gregory James Trapp, 58, Lee’s Summit, Missouri, died Aug. 18 at Lee’s Summit Medical Center. The family received friends at a visitation Friday. A funeral service was held Saturday at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Herington.

  • IN MEMORIAM:

    James Keazer

DOCKET

OPINION

  • Signs of the times

    Prophecy buffs have a case, if they wanted to make it, that Canadian rock group Five Man Electrical Band had Marion County and the summer of 2015 in mind when they penned these lyrics to their signature 1971 hit “Signs”: “Sign, sign, everywhere a sign, blockin’ out the scenery, breaking my mind; do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”

  • ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

    Plant a tree for posterity

PEOPLE

SCHOOL

  • Ensley a familiar face among three new USD 408 teachers

    In one respect, it’s a misnomer to label Jessica Ensley a “new” teacher for Marion-Florence schools, as she’s been substitute teaching in district classrooms for the past six years. What’s new for Ensley is a full-time position as a first-grade teacher at Marion Elementary School.

  • Centre brings in five new teachers for 2015-16

    In addition to new superintendent Susan Beeson, Centre school district has five new teachers. Alex Cain of Marion teaches kindergarten. She graduated from Tabor College last spring with a degree in elementary education.

  • Classroom grandma has a special touch but faces uncertain future

    Madonna Schafers of Marion has been in the federal Foster Grandparent Program for six years. She worked in Head Start and kindergarten at Newton for two years, and spent the past four years in the first-grade classroom at Marion Elementary School. She is not sure that she will be returning to the classroom this year. She said she may be reassigned and does not know if she will accept a new place.

  • MENUS:

    Centre, Marion

SPORTS PREVIEW

  • Warriors ready for football season to start

    While the press box above and track all around have changed, the game on the field at Warrior Stadium remains the same. Grant Thierolf enters his 28th year as head coach for Marion High School, and his expectations for and confidence in his team are the same as ever.

  • New coach pumped for MHS volleyball

    Marion High School’s new head volleyball coach, Brea Campbell, has been busy acclimating herself this summer to her new town and her new team. “I’ve never been here,” she said. “I didn’t know anyone from here. I just had never really heard about it.”

  • MHS cross-country will have boys team

    In a high school sports universe where winning reigns increasingly supreme, coach Rebecca Hofer embraces more of the little league mentality. “My main goal is for everyone to have fun, and get better as the season goes along,” she said.

  • Centre football aim for better year on gridiron

    Tye Remy, head football coach at Centre, hopes to improve his team’s record last year of 3-6 overall, 1-3 in the league, and 2-3 in district play. After having to replace 11 graduating seniors in his first year of coaching, Remy is thankful to have seven returning starters on his roster of 18 players this year.

  • Four returning players anchor Centre volleyball

    Centre volleyball coach Yvonne Burhoop is counting on the experience of four returning players to give her team the needed strength to have a winning season. Junior Summer Espinoza, a hitter and setter, has the most experience. She lettered and received honorable mention all-league in her freshman year. She was named to second team all league last year.

  • Centre cross-country features many new faces

    Sophomore C.J. Thompson will lead Centre High School’s cross-country team this year. He gained varsity status as a freshman and qualified for sub-state. “I expect great things out of this exceptional young man this year,” said Julie Keithline, Centre’s new cross-country coach.

  • Centre girls' golf enters second year

    Six athletes are on the Centre girls’ golf team this year. Senior Ally Basore and juniors Hannah Peterson, Rebecca Reneau, and Karoline Chizek were on the team in its first season last year and have returned this year.

UPCOMING

  • Calendar of Events

  • Circus is coming to county

    Culpepper and Merriweather Circus will be in Peabody on Sept. 9 with its big-top tent, animals, and midway attractions, as well as a trapeze artist, performing jungle cats, prancing ponies, and much more. The circus will set up at Peabody City Park between 9:30 and 10 a.m. with shows at 5 and 7:30 p.m.

  • Girl Scouts registration open

    Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland is inviting kindergarten to 12th grade girls to register for Girl Scouts. Those interested in registering may do so by visiting kansasgirlscouts.org.

  • Lunch 'n' Learn to make bierocks

    A Lunch n’ Learn will be held noon to 1 p.m. Sept. 2 in the Santa Fe room at the Marion City Library. Cost is $5 and reservations can be made until Friday.

  • Free child screenings available

    Marion County Early Intervention Services will conduct free screenings for children ages 5 and younger Sept. 8 in Peabody. Appointments, which are required, will be available from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

  • Flatlander bike ride to be Sept. 19

    The MCC Flatlander Bicycle Ride will be 8 a.m. Sept. 19 starting at the MCC Center, Newton. Registration will be from 7 to 8 a.m. the morning of the race.

  • Photo contest voting open

    Voting for the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s photo contest opened Saturday and will close Sept. 15. Keven Fruechting of Marion and Christine Simpson of Tampa both have photos in the contest.

  • Democratic women to meet

    Marion County Democratic Women will meet at noon Friday at Marion Senior Center. Lunch will be provided, with a business meeting afterword.

MORE…

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