Marion County RECORD

Petition to recall Ramona mayor denied

Forty-one registered voters from Ramona signed a petition to recall Mayor Pat Wick, but when County Attorney Susan Robson reviewed it, the petition was returned to the submitter, James Thompson, because filing procedures were not followed. According to Thompson, he, A.J. Svoboda, Ramona Councilman Billy Alcorn, and Jamie Brunner initiated the petition for a recall.

Hanschu Jersey cow could become famous

Elsie the Cow has been a mascot for Borden milk products since 1939. Borden Inc. took the animal on tours throughout the country to attract attention to its products. Numerous Jerseys have been used as Elsie the Cow in the history of the company. One Jersey that has the potential to become an Elsie was recently purchased from Lyle and Carol Hanschu of Lost Springs.

Council hires city clerk

In a special meeting Monday evening, Marion City Council hired Alan Meisinger of Marion as City Clerk. Angela Lange had served as City Clerk since June 2001. Her last day is Friday.

Hiebert earns highest rank in Boy Scouts

Not everyone earns the right to be called an Eagle Scout. On Saturday, Marion Boy Scouts Troop 102 added one more to the list when Cody Hiebert, 18, of Marion, was named an Eagle Scout. Hiebert became a Cub Scout in 1997 with the local troop. From there, he participated in troop activities, earning merit badges along the way.

Lost Springs celebrates May 15

Residents of Lost Springs will host a Cinco De Mayo celebration May 15 to honor the town’s position along the Santa Fe Trail. The festivities were originally planned for May 8 to closely coincide with the Mexican holiday, but a wedding expected to draw many Lost Springs residents forced organizer and Marion County Economic Development Director Teresa Huffman to move the celebration back a week.

Fallen peace officers recognized

National Police Week is May 9 through 15 with National Peace Officers Memorial Day on Saturday. Marion County has been fortunate with no officers dying in the line of duty in the past 30 years.

Storm chasers visit Marion on the hunt for tornadoes

Storm chasers from Extreme Tornado Tours of Norman, Okla., stopped in Marion Thursday hoping to capture tornadoes on video. Dave Holder said Marion seemed like an optimal location for the formation of thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes, as low-level clouds arrived in the area.

John Cain

John C. Cain, 78, of Hays, died May 8 at Trego County Lemke Memorial Hospital in WaKeeney. Born Oct. 11, 1931, in Peabody, to Frank J. and Twyla Belle (Skinner) Cain, he served in the U.S. Navy.

Charlene Garcia

Charlene Faye Garcia, 47, of Hutchinson, died May 4, at St. Francis Regional Medical Center, Wichita. Born Sept. 14, 1962, in Marion, to Michael R. and Frances Irene (Saenz) Martinez, she attended Peabody schools and was employed by HUBCO in Hutchinson.

Agnes N. Goodwin

Agnes N. Pruitt-Goodwin, 98, formerly of Florence, died May 10 at Newman Hospital in Emporia. Graveside services will be 3 p.m. Friday at Hillcrest Cemetery in Florence.

Howard Lacock Jr.

Howard R. Lacock Jr., 76, of Marion, died May 4 at St. Luke Hospital, Marion. Born May 31, 1933, he married Joyce Brugh Aug. 22, 1993, at Marion.

Kathryn Maloun

Kathryn D. Maloun, 82, of Augusta, formerly of Florence, died May 10, at Golden Living Center in El Dorado. Born April 1, 1928, in Peabody, to Marvin and Margaret (Kerns) Dowell, she was a retired licensed practical nurse.

Waymon Pelfrey

Waymon B. Pelfrey, 90, of Peabody, died May 5 at Legacy Park, Peabody. Born Sept 2, 1919, in Chattanooga, Tenn., to Charles and Lennie (Giddens) Pelfrey, he grew up in the Chattanooga area, later moving to Kansas City, Mo. He was a retired machinist.

Accidents

Civil division

County jail

Criminal division

Deeds records

Domestic division

Hillsboro police report

Marriage licenses

Peabody police report

Sheriff incident reports

Traffic division

County commissioners consider a new county building

Marion County Commissioners discussed whether the county should renovate the Health Department building or build a new structure. The Health Department building needs extensive repairs, Director Diedre Serene said Monday. The county is having drywall replaced to get rid of mold, but without replacing windows, the mold is likely to return, she said.

Sitting with Kansas Supreme Court valuable experience for local judge

Chief Judge Michael F. Powers of the 8th Judicial District Court thinks spending a day with the Kansas Supreme Court as a substitute justice will improve the work he does as a trial judge. Chief Justice Robert E. Davis is ill, and has been away from the court for more than a month. The court needed to make progress on its docket, so it needed a substitute judge.

Errant softballs bring crowd to council meeting

The Tampa city office was crowded May 1 when Tampa City Council met. Mayor Tim Svoboda had requested members of the men’s softball team attend the meeting to discuss the issue of balls being hit out of the ballpark and allegedly doing damage at the home of Councilman Don Zaideman, who lives across from the diamond. Cody Schafer, Greg Holub, Jeff Riffel, and Nathan Funk represented the team. Others in attendance were Steve Jirak, Russell Kerbs, Greg Berens, Francie Mueller, Amber Peterson, and Gary and Carol Spohn.

Development peg doesn't fit in tourism slot

I have been attending the monthly meetings of Marion County Economic Development Council, partly to know what’s going on with the group and partly because I am interested in what’s happening. When I was a member of the organization, it was a different time and there was a different attitude. It was OK that it was a social circle of sorts — visiting with representatives from other cities on a monthly basis. We helped each other with events by promoting them within our communities and offering advice.

Another Day in the Country

It’s been five years since I’ve driven to California. Most often, I’ve been flying from Wichita to San Francisco, been met by my kids at the airport, and driven around like a celebrity in a limo. This time, we decided to drive.

Hope in the Heartland

“Open the present,” the small child said, bouncing. The gift is wrapped in St. Patrick’s Day paper. Daddy found it at the convenience store when he bought the potting soil, giant cards, pine tree air freshener, and refilled his enormous travel mug.

Our Voice in Topeka

The veto session is a start-and-stop operation. We wait on conference negotiation reports between the House and Senate — trying to hammer out our differences — and then we consider them one by one in the House chamber. We worked all week, and Friday’s efforts ended at 4 a.m. Saturday; then we took up our work again Saturday and adjourned at 10 p.m. We hoped we could wrap up the session Saturday night, but did not.

Random Thoughts

Everyone to his own taste, said the boy as he kissed the cow. Still true. Have you noticed how many people kiss their dogs or cats? I could love a pet, but not that much. I had a niece who had two cute little boys and a dog. She let that dog lick those boys’ faces. Of course, they kissed it right on the lips. I thought those boys would get some horrible disease. They didn’t, actually they grew up to be handsome and healthy young men.

LETTERS:

New director brings enthusiasm, experience to home

Wanting residents at Marion Assisted Living to have more to look forward to than three daily meals, newly hired executive director Janet Blue wants to continue activities to stimulate the mind and body. “Physical activities keep joints and muscles going,” Blue said. “It is also important to keep the brain active.”

MHS alumni excited to play at Chingawassa Days

Vegetable, a Lawrence-area band who will open for 38 Special June 5 at Chingawassa Days, has Marion connections. Guitarist and vocalist Travis Moore, bassist and vocalist Oliver Good, and drummer Eric Voelker are Marion High School alumni. They are joined by Marc McMiller, of Lawrence, on guitar.

Ultra-marathoner stops at county lake on way to New York

In 1996, Yijoo Kwon, of South Korea, was diagnosed with diabetes. His doctor told him diet and exercise were his best hopes to maintain his health. He started exercising by walking short distances, gradually increasing distance and pace. He ran his first marathon in 2000. He eventually graduated to 100-mile ultramarathons, and has completed eight so far.

A healthy lawn is possible -- even in summer

“Water the lawn. That’ll make the grass grow.” How many times have homeowners read or heard that advice?

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Graduation ceremonies announced

Marion County high schools will host graduation ceremonies in the coming weeks. Baccalaureate for Peabody-Burns High School graduates will be at 10:45 a.m. with graduation at 4 p.m., all on Sunday in the Brown Building Gymnasium.

Centre FFA alumnus encourages members to set priorities

Nellie Hill, a 2008 Centre High School graduate, was the keynote speaker Thursday at the Centre FFA chapter banquet. She is a sophomore at Kansas State University, majoring in agriculture education. Hill also is the state FFA vice president and was scheduled to speak at seven chapter banquets around the state. She has been active all year, organizing and attending various conferences and leading training sessions.

Kemble to travel to Washington to explore cyber school

USD 397 Superintendent Jerri Kemble will travel to Washington, D.C. this month, where she will join other school officials in seeking legislative support for an i3 Investing in Innovation grant. The board of education approved the trip April 28 at a special meeting.

Centre teachers get extra day to prepare for transition

May 20 will be the last day of classes for the 2009-10 year at Centre schools. Originally set for May 21, the date was changed by the board of education at its Monday meeting to give teachers an extra work day to pack supplies and prepare for the transition from two sites to one this fall. Teachers also have a work day on May 24.

Warrior girls take 1st at meet

The Marion High School girls track team placed first Thursday at Hesston and the boys team placed sixth. Julia Zeiner won four events — the long jump, with a distance of 17 feet, 7.5 inches; triple jump, 38-7, edging fifth-place teammate Monica Spachek, who jumped 32-9.5; the 100-meter hurdles, with a time of 15.27 seconds; and the 300 hurdles, at 46.35.

Warriors split home run derby with Hillsboro

The Marion High School baseball team lost the first game Friday in a doubleheader with Hillsboro, 21-4, but won the second contest, 13-7. The Trojans were already up 8-0 in the first game, on the strength of a two-RBI hit by Aaron Bina and a two-RBI single by Jacob Fish, when Tyler Ediger hit a three-run home run to make the score 11-0 in the first inning.

Golfers compete in Marion County Invite

Golfers from Marion, Centre, Goessel, and Hillsboro high schools braved the wind and cold Friday at the Marion County Invitational. The invitational was played over 16 holes, split between the courses at Marion and Hillsboro.

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