BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
Camping, boating, and fishing restrictions were lifted today at Marion Reservoir, but swimming remains prohibited under a blue-green algae warning issue by Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
“All camping sites are available, even along shorelines,” lake manager Kevin McCoy said. “Boat ramps are open, but swim beaches remain closed.”
Marion’s newest restaurant, MacGregor’s, is temporarily closed while owners EJ and Joe Pickett wrestle with costly kitchen issues and worry whether someone may be trying to run them out of business.
A state fire marshal, summoned by a tip, discovered Monday that 10-foot and 4-foot hoods over cooking equipment weren’t hooked up to vent vapors outdoors, and that a hood fire suppression system hadn’t been installed, EJ Pickett said.
If anyone had a doubt Charlie Daniels would be a huge draw for Chingawassa Days, all they needed to see were the scores of empty chairs gobbling up green space.
Not Saturday night during the concert, but that afternoon, as people started jockeying for prime seats soon after the gates opened in the morning.
County commissioners got a surprise Monday — a $900 bill for what they thought was going to be free housing for emergency medical technicians in Hillsboro. Or, at least, two commissioners were surprised.
Hillsboro mayor Delores Dalke told the county on March 13 that Hillsboro was willing to pay for housing and meals if the county would commit to hiring full-time crew members to be stationed at Hillsboro.
Heated meetings have left the county commission divided and the county just two weeks away from having no superintendent at the lake.
Citing family reasons and with his wife, Jill, at his side, superintendent Steve Hudson on Monday gave two weeks’ notice of resignation, after the conclusion of the Bluegrass at the Lake festival he started.
Technology that only a thief could love has hit the county with the recent discovery of a credit card skimmer installed on a gas pump at Johnson’s General Store in Florence.
Skimmers are devices installed on or inside ATM machines, gas pumps, and other point-of-service card readers that steal a card’s information from its magnetic strip. Thieves then use the information to make fraudulent purchases, leaving cardholders, vendors, and banks to cope with the bills.
A post-Chingawassa scuffle between a police officer and a passenger of a truck that hit a car parked on Main St. near Marion High School resulted in a 29-year-old Council Grove man’s second drug-related arrest in two weeks.
While interviewing witnesses about the accident at 11:47 p.m. Saturday, Sergeant Michael Stone suspected that the passenger, Jonathan Mangold, was under the influence of drugs, according to assistant chief Clinton Jeffrey.
Steve Hudson’s resignation as lake superintendent wasn’t the only divisive lake topic to dominate discussion at county commission meetings Monday and last Wednesday.
Heated debate, both pro and con, surrounded a request for a driveway easement from developer Garry Dunnegan, who last year installed a controversial dock in apparent contravention of previous lake rules.
After walking 59 miles in four days, Bernadette Stuhlsatz could see that the trek had taken its toll on her sister, Natalie. She was struggling with sore feet, and her back, afflicted with scoliosis, was hurting. A final mile lay ahead, one to be walked in silent reflection.
“There was a moment where I didn’t have to say anything,” Bernadette said. “I just looked at her, and she grabbed my hand, and we held them for the entire mile to the church. She said when we got done it encouraged her to finish.”
Six miles of gravel roads that used to be paved, including the east access road to Marion Dam and a continuation leading to Cottonwood Point, will return to asphalt later this year.
County commissioners approved a $1.13 million bid from low bidder APAC of Wichita last week to hard surface:
State health officials closed Marion Reservoir last week because of high levels of blue-green algae toxins. Some recreational areas could remain closed even if an all clear is issued tomorrow.
Campsites within 100 feet of the water were closed, but because the water level is 1½ feet above normal, more sites have been affected, Corp of Engineeers lake manager Kevin McCoy said.
Services for Vera David-Beach, 87, who died Monday at Parkside Homes, will be 11 a.m. Saturday at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church.
Born Sept. 12, 1929, in rural Tampa to Otto and Miriam (Reuscher) David, she married Raymond Beach on June 4, 1994, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He died in 2013.
Graveside services for Artis Mildred Dean, 90, who died Sunday at Kansas Christian Home, will be 2 p.m. Friday at Greenwood Cemetery, Newton.
Visitation will be 5 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Petersen Funeral Home, Newton. Relatives will receive friends from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
Services for Joan Hope, 90, who died Saturday at Salem Home, will be 11 a.m. Thursday, at Hillsboro United Methodist Church.
Visitation will be 6 to 8 tonight at Jost Funeral Home, Hillsboro.
Services for lifelong Marion resident Larry Earl “Farmer” Olsen, 77, who died May 30, were Monday at Aulne. Burial was in Marion Cemetery.
Born Jan. 3, 1940, to Earl F. and Tena “Lucille” (Rempel) Olsen, he was the third generation to live on the family farm west of Marion. He also worked as a builder and raised miniature horses.
Private services are planned for Wade Smith, 56, who died May 30 at Hillsboro Community Hospital.
Born Aug. 29, 1960, in Salina to Kenneth and Irene (Harper) Smith, he is survived by his companion, Mary Klenda of Hillsboro; daughter, Brianna Smith of Overland Park; five brothers; seven sisters; and a grandchild.
Technology has changed the landscape of farm implement repair.
“When I first started doing this in the late ‘70s, I never dreamed I’d be using a computer to do this,” Todd Carpenter, field service technician for Prairieland Partners, said. “Now it’s the first tool out of my tool box.”
Agriculture is big business these days. Farmers have many more services available to them than a few decades ago.
Farm co-ops employ agronomists, seed salesmen, feed specialists, and others to assist producers in various ways.
Big changes in soybean and corn genetics in the past 20 years have made it easier to produce successful crops.
Specific traits implanted in seed make it possible for Roundup herbicide to be sprayed directly on crops for weed control.
Despite a downturn in prices that farmers have received in recent years, cattle production continues unabated.
Kansas cattle have increased from 6.25 million in January 2016 to 6.4 million this January, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service.
Nearby fire districts are cooperating to create a new rescue service designed to free victims who have become trapped in grain bins.
A grain engulfment trailer and a team specially trained to use it will be available for mutual aid in McPherson County and surrounding counties.
More than 125 alumni, guests and teachers, representing classes from 1943 to 2017, attended Florence’s 121st annual alumni banquet May 27 at Florence Gymnasium.
The group is thought to be the state’s oldest continuously meeting alumni group.
Dan and Donna (Delk) Dalke will celebrate this 50th wedding anniversary with a family trip to Colorado in July.
They were married June 10, 1967, at Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church near Hillsboro.
Skip and Eileen Sieger will celebrate their 50th anniversary next week.
They were married June 16, 1967, at the Evangelical United Brethren Church, now Eastmoor United Methodist Church, in Marion.
MEMORIES:
10,
25,
35,
50,
60,
100,
125 years agoSENIOR CENTER:
New physician talks to seniors,
Senior menu
Football helmets aren’t standard dinner attire, but recent Marion High School graduate Cade Harms took one along to a National Football Foundation scholar-athlete dinner May 24 at Kansas State University.
Harms and 11 other football players from among all high school state classifications were honored at Bill Snyder Family Stadium for their play on the field, academic achievement, and contributions to school activities and communities.
Several Marion County FFA members received awards or scholarships last week at the state FFA convention in Manhattan.
Aidan Cairns of the Marion-Florence chapter received a National FFA Foundation scholarship valued at $1,000 to $5,000.
A pair of Marion sisters often called “the May twins” will blaze separate paths come late summer after each received a $1,000 scholarship from St. Luke Auxiliary last week to help with the cost of the study.
Paige May is headed to Kansas State University to study clinical laboratory science.
A come-and-go reception from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday at the Sports and Aquatic Center will honor Lee Leiker, who is retiring after 13 years as superintendent of the Marion-Florence schools.
Marion City Library’s annual garden tour will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 24 at multiple homes around the county.
Gardens of these residents will be on display: Lonnie and Charlotte Nickel, 210 W. 6th St. in Lincolnville; Joe and Debbie Bowman, 17 Lois Lane, Marion County Lake; Mike and Gayle Thomas, east of Marion on K-256; Kim and Deb Unruh at 1774 170th Rd.; and Dan and Rhonda Holub at 1953 240th Rd.
Chat and Dine Club will meet for a potluck dinner at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Marion County Lake hall. Superintendent Steve Hudson will talk about the lake’s disc golf course.
Les and Colleen Greenemeyer, Roger and Donna Kaiser, and Sharon Williams will be hosts. Present and former lake residents and guests are welcome. Attendees should bring table service and a dish to share.
Free developmental screenings for children age 5 and younger will be offered from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 20 in Marion. Sessions test vision, hearing, cognition, language, motor skills, and social and emotional development. Each evaluation generally takes at least an hour. Appointments are required. They may be made by calling Marion County Early Intervention Services at (620) 382-2858.
Marion City Library’s “Build a Better World” summer reading program will begin Monday and continue through July 14.
The program encourages children pre-kindergarten through eighth grade to read books by offering prizes for reaching reading goals. All children are welcome to participate.