HEADLINES

  • Yes, Marion, there is a Santa Claus, and police chief enforces it with kids

    Marion’s top interrogator recently was grilled by questions. Police Chief Tyler Mermis addressed doubts about the existence of Santa Claus while he performed a reading of “The Night Before Christmas,” Thursday at Marion Elementary School library.

  • 'Way too much in taxes': Valuation is more than 80 percent above neighbors

    It’s that time of year when Santa gives and the tax collector takes away, but a Lincolnville homeowner claims her property tax assessment is nearly double what it should be. Donna Wharton, along with two brothers, owns a two-bedroom bungalow at 210 1st St. where her 90-year-old mother, Almeda Kahns, lives.

  • Zoning may ax Straub deal

    The intended purchase of the Straub building for a new county shop, office space, and storage space may have run into a deal-breaker. The problem is that the Straub building is not zoned by the City of Marion for government use.

  • Principal's new math: 3, 2, 1, swoosh = $5,000

    Christmas came early for Justin Wasmuth and family when he drained a $5,000 half-court shot Monday during halftime of an Emporia State University basketball game. “I was in disbelief,” Wasmuth, principal at Marion Elementary School, said. “If I did it another 99 times I’m sure I wouldn’t make it again. It was more luck than skill.”

  • Turkey 'shoot' nabs prize

    Kevin Fruechting of Marion is always looking for the next good shot of landscapes and wildlife as he roams the outdoors with his camera, so it’s not surprising one slipped his mind. “I forgot I sent that off a long time ago,” he said of a turkey photo that last week took second place in Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism’s annual Wild About Kansas contest.

  • Rape case plea and lawyer out?

    A Peabody man who earlier pleaded guilty to raping a child under 14 now wants out of his plea agreement and his lawyer wants off the case. Former Peabody-Burns High School student Malachi Lee Hunsucker, charged with multiple counts of rape and criminal sodomy involving a child younger than 14, on Oct. 20 made a plea agreement that would have dismissed most of the charges in that case and two additional cases, resulting in a reduced sentence on a single count of rape.

  • Marion considers automated phone system

    Real people will still answer a decade-old phone system at Marion city offices, even though the system has capabilities for menu-based operation and voice mail that have never been utilized. Parks and recreation assistant director Josh Clevenger knows something about such systems. He once was an installer of Norstar systems like the one the city obtained in 2006, he said.

  • City names lighting contest winners

    Winners of Marion’s Christmas lighting contest received checks totalling $900 at Monday’s council meeting. Decorations adorning the home of Wallace and Kim Ross at 217 N. Coble St. were deemed the best among 23 entrants in the city-sponsored lighting contest, earning the couple first place and $500.

OTHER HEADLINES

  • Soldiers thank students for thanking them

    Soldiers visited two Marion Elementary School classes to express gratitude for an act of kindness students bestowed upon them about a year ago, and ended up answering a barrage of questions. Matt Williams of Florence and Jeremy Lee of Wichita were part of the 134th Air Control Squadron stationed in the United Arab Emirates in the Middle East last Christmas when they received cards, letters, and packages from MES first and fourth graders.

  • Pupils arrive too early

    Youngsters who get to Peabody-Burns Elementary School too early in the morning may be stuck waiting at the door for up to half an hour before they can get inside, USD #398 school board members heard at the Dec. 14 board meeting. “It is nice to know the kids are enthusiastic about getting here and starting their day, but for the past few weeks it has been pretty brisk at that hour of the morning and they really should not be arriving that early.” Peabody-Burns Superintendent and Elementary School Principal Ron Traxson said.

  • Parents of disabled kids eager for local job training

    A program under development in Marion County that will offer real-life job training for developmentally disabled teens and young adults brought interested parents to Marion Community Center ballroom Monday. Two mothers who want options for their adult sons came to ask questions about Project SEARCH at a Harvey and Marion County Developmental Disability Organization board meeting.

  • County schools win $1,000 grants

    Hillsboro and Marion students will receive new equipment for physical education classes, thanks to grants given to Marion Elementary School principal Justin Wasmuth and Hillsboro Middle and High School physical education teacher Jeff Haslett. Wasmuth said the $1,000 grant from Healthy Habits for Life will be used for the school’s field day in spring, and a club called Running Wild, where students run a mile.

  • Wilborn to lead to judiciary committee

    State Sen. Rick Wilborn (R-McPherson) will be chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee in 2017. Wilborn, whose professional background is in insurance, said he doesn’t know why he’s been tabbed for the slot.

  • Reception to honor retiring clerk

    Peabody city clerk Stephanie Lago will be honored at a retirement reception from 1 to 4 p.m. Dec. 30 in the council room at Peabody City Hall. Lago is retiring from city employment after 17 years in the front office.

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL

  • Community Christmas brings joy

    It wouldn’t be Christmas in Marion without a program that brings holiday joy to less fortunate families. On Thursday, 48 families who applied and were approved for the program were given gifts for children and boxes of food intended to take care of their holiday dinner and the time children will be out of school.

  • How an elf got his groove back

    A homesick elf recently made a triumphant return to Marion Elementary School after retreating to the North Pole to recover from the holiday blues. “His name is Trapper—T-r-a-p-p-e-r—he is a magical elf that Santa sent us,” first grade teacher Michelle Flaming said. “Santa told us if anyone touched Trapper that he would lose his magical power and have to go back to the North Pole.”

  • Ages 4 to 91, they're winners all

    Winners of this year’s newspaper Christmas contests ranged in age from 4-year-old coloring contest winner Kaylee Hunter of Marion to 91-year-old recipe winner Kathryn Lunderman, also of Marion. Anne and Raymond Janzen of Hillsboro also won the newspaper Christmas lighting contest.

  • LETTERS TO SANTA:

    Centre, Goessel, Hillsboro, Marion-Florence, Peabody-Burns

DEATHS

  • Frelna Crawford

    Frelna V. Crawford, 71,died Saturday at Newton Medical Center in Newton. She was born May 30, 1945, to William and Mary (Carter) Mackey in White County, Illinois. On Feb. 9, 1962, she married Robert Crawford. She was a senior cosmetologist, and later worked for RC Cola and STS Transport. In 2006, the couple retired to Marion.

  • Jim Gervais

    James “Jim” L. Gervais, 72, of Peabody, died Dec. 13 in Hesston. Born Jan. 7, 1944, to Edward and Margaret (Ahrens) Gervais in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he was a retired cement worker with Pre-Stress Concrete Company. He also worked as a crane operator and night watchman with Pre-Stress Concrete, as well as a press operator at Hesston Corp. He operated Jim’s Farmers Market in Wichita for many years. He was an angler, hunter, and gardener.

  • Cheryl Steward

    Cheryl A. Steward, 70, died Dec. 16 in Wichita. There will be a private service at a later date.

  • Sylvia Winchester

    Former Marion resident Sylvia Winchester, 90, died Monday in Newton. A funeral service will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Zeiner Funeral Home in Marion. Interment will follow at Marion Cemetery.

  • IN MEMORIAM:

    Fred Helmer
  • IN MEMORIAM:

    Jerry Jensen

DOCKET

OPINION

  • Underpants and wisdom

    There’s never a more delightful time at the newspaper than when our county kids send us their “Dear Santa” letters. Every year I have to scramble to the Internet to figure out what the heck some of these newfangled toys are. Sometimes I have a hard time restraining myself from clicking through to an order page — there’s some stuff that’s far cooler than Tinker Toys.

  • Marion County believes

    Dear Santa, Ho, ho, ho again to you! As they sing in the Christmas carol, this is “the most wonderful time of the year!” I am happy to be writing to you once again from the newspaper office. I think if you look inside our newspaper pages this week you will see letters to you from our local boys and girls. They are so excited. They have done well in their school and church programs. I have heard that many of them are planning to leave yummy treats for you and your reindeer on Christmas Eve.

  • ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

    1st snowball of the season
  • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

    Library appreciation

PEOPLE

SPORTS

  • Trojans, Warriors split 2016 finale

    The Marion Warriors and Hillsboro Trojans wrapped up 2016 with a split Tuesday night in Marion. In girls’ action, hot off a Friday night win against Bluestem, the Lady Warriors used a 14-0 second-half run to coast to a 44-25 victory.

  • Hillsboro girls survive battle of the Trojans; state-ranked boys drop first game

    Winning ugly outdoes losing pretty, especially if a team is searching for ways to put together a solid game both offensively and defensively. The Hillsboro Lady Trojans were still looking for that Thursday against the visiting Southeast of Saline Lady Trojans, who were searching for their first win.

  • Warriors claim 3rd in county dual tournament

    The Warriors nabbed third and the Trojans placed ninth of 12 teams that wrestled in the county duals tournament Friday in Marion and Hillsboro. With a bye in the first round, Marion defeated Douglas 42-36 in the second round, and trounced Bluestem 44-13 in the third.

  • Cougar basketball teams seize victories at Canton-Galva

    Centre basketball teams both opened league play Friday by defeating Canton-Galva in close matchups on the road. The boys improved their record to 4-1 and the girls 3-2 overall. After a 3-pointer by the Eagles, Xavier Espinoza, Dylan Deines, Cody Svoboda, and Cole Srajer combined for 11 unanswered points and an 11-3 Cougar lead. However, the Eagles came roaring back with 10 unanswered points to lead by 2, 13-11.

  • Peabody-Burns boys, girls lose to Little River

    In Friday’s game against the Little River Redskins, Peabody-Burns Warriors fought hard but fell short 25-36. Coach Caleb Good was disappointed with the loss, but said the team gave a good fight.

UPCOMING EVENTS

  • Community service set

    The annual Peabody community Christmas Eve service will be First Baptist Church at 10 p.m. Dec. 24 at First Baptist Church. Ministers from First Baptist, First Christian, Gracepoint, and United Methodist churches will address the gathering.

  • Blood drives set

    Red Cross will have three blood drives in Marion County. First will be 12 to 6 p.m. Friday at Hillsboro City Hall. Next will be 12 to 4 p.m. Dec. 28 at Goessel Mennonite Church, then 8:45 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Jan. 5 at Peabody High School.

  • Calendar of Events

MORE…

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