BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
Marion County Commission will vote Tuesday whether to hold a referendum on a one-half cent sales tax to pay for a new jail, sheriff’s department, and dispatch on the April 5 ballot. The commission met Thursday in a special session to discuss options.
When customers come to Seacat Do it Best hardware and lumberyard in Marion, they will see changes in the works with a familiar face waiting on them. It was announced Monday that owners Brad and Anita Seacat will step aside and Matt Kukuk will take over as manager.
Robert Latimer and Jim Prescott of Transcanada Keystone Pipeline project met with Marion County Commissioners Monday to discuss what would happen in the event of a pipeline emergency. The pipeline is transporting slurry from Canada to Cushing, Okla., although it isn’t operating at full capacity yet. The pipeline has remote-controlled shut-off valves approximately every 10 miles that can isolate a segment of pipe within about 12 minutes, Latimer said. In the event of an emergency, the company would also notify local emergency responders and send an incident commander to the scene.
Hillsboro resident Arlow Goossen, 68, died Sunday in a two-car crash in Wichita. According to published reports, Goosen was a passenger in a vehicle when the collision occurred at 11:25 a.m. at the intersection of Harry Street and George Washington Boulevard. Goosen died at the scene. Other passengers in Goosen’s vehicle were treated and released.
Tampa will have a new city park, thanks in part to a $64,126 grant from the Small Communities Improvement Program of the Kansas Department of Commerce. Residents have been talking about building a new park for several years, Amber Peterson said Thursday. She is a member of the Tampa PRIDE subcommittee that applied for the grant.
Marion Chingawassa Days Committee announces country music band Diamond Rio will perform June 4 in Central Park as part of the annual festival. The musical act made history in 1992 as the first group to have a debut single, “Meet in the Middle,” reach No. 1 on the charts. They have sold more than one million albums and have nine No. 1 and 22 top-10 singles. Diamond Rio is a six-time winner of the Country Music Awards and Academy of Country Music and has been nominated 15 consecutive years by the Country Music Association for vocal group of the year — more than any other band in country music history.
The late George Baxter was one of Marion’s aviation pioneers. He was a licensed pilot well before the establishment of the Federal Aviation Administration, Marion Airport Board of Directors Chairman Dick McLinden said Thursday. Baxter began flying between World Wars I and II, and even tested some planes for Clyde Cessna, founder of Cessna Aircraft Corporation, McLinden said.
In a countywide examination of student ineligibility, Goessel had the fewest students on its academically ineligible list the week of Feb. 7. For both Goessel Senior and Junior High schools there were seven students failing a total of eight classes that week. The two schools have a combined enrollment of 135 students.
Former Marion County Record reporter Jerry Buxton, 68, of Larned, died Feb. 5 at Hospice Hospital in Hutchinson. He was born Dec. 14, 1942, in Ransom, to Richard C. and Esther (Johannes) Buxton.
Naomi Ruth Gisi, 72, of Salina, died Feb. 8 at Salina Regional Health Center. She was born Oct. 8, 1938, at Hillsboro, to Waldo and Goldie (Regier) Bartel.
Arlo W. Goossen, 68, of Hillsboro, died Feb. 13 in Wichita. He was born Oct. 10, 1942, in Goessel, to George J. and Marie (Nickkel) Goossen.
Sylvia Ruth Jantz, 80, retired elementary school teacher, died Feb. 8 in Hesston. She was the daughter of Peter Cornelius and Anna (Richert) Andres.
Services for Anna Marie Johnston, 82, of Grove, Okla., who died Jan. 31, have been changed to 2 p.m. Thursday at Eastmoor United Methodist Church, Marion.
Ralph Bradley “Brad” Kimball, 56, of Sublette, died Feb. 10 at St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City. He was born June 7, 1954, at Marion, to Plato Jr. and Geraldine (Peirce) Kimball. He moved from El Dorado to Sublette in 1973.
Erwin H. Monnich, 79, of Herington, died Feb. 13 at his home. He was born Dec. 9, 1921, at Latimer, to Edward F. and Helene K. (Oltmanns) Monnich.
Gary Lee Weber, 67, of Hillsboro, died Feb. 11 at his residence. He was born Oct. 9, 1943, in Marion, to Leland and Lois (Bell) Weber.
The obvious talk of the town the past two weeks has been the weather. Everyone we’ve talked to cannot recall a snowstorm like the one this past week. Up to 20 inches of snow fell in the county. I remember two big snows when I was younger. It snowed 12 inches in the early 1970s when I was in junior high or high school and in 1979 when my daughter was a baby but those were different because the snow fell during a five or six-day period not in 24 hours.
(Editor’s Note: Brad Seacat submitted this statement Monday to the newspaper regarding an incident that occurred March 10, when Mayor Mary Olson asked then-city administrator David Mayfield to check into rumors that the hardware store had filed bankruptcy. She believed she had a right to know because the business had received a grant from the city to expand. The Kansas Attorney General’s office investigated the incident and found there was not sufficient evidence to prosecute.) As with most business owners, we find ownership to be a very rewarding and challenging experience. It is a constant struggle to maintain a balance between providing a good inventory for our customers and keeping the bills paid. In spite of the poor economy and the ever-increasing number of delinquent accounts, we are still here.
(Editor’s Note: The Record asked Mayor Mary Olson to respond to the statement presented by Brad Seacat. Here was her response.) The basis for Brad Seacat’s allegations is and was unfounded. My intent is and always will be to have the best financial well being for all businesses in the city. As mayor of Marion, the retention of all businesses is very important to me.
Lucille Bitner of Marion submitted this photo of what she and her husband, Roger, described as a mountain lion. This photo was taken at 8:30 a.m. Sunday across the street from the Bitner home at 306 Garfield St., Marion.
Since I wrote my last column, we have voted on a couple of matters that warrant comment. First is the rescission bill, also referred to this year as the freeze bill, since it is designed to freeze spending. As you are aware, we’re trying to fill a huge financial hole just to finish this fiscal year. For the balance of this fiscal year, which ends June 30, funds for education are to be cut based on $75 per pupil base state aid.
Trapped in a car for hours of driving, I remember the first game I learned to play. I was probably 5 years old and we were returning from Lincoln, Neb., to Ramona. It was Christmas break and my father, the collegian, had offered two younger classmates a ride to their relatives in Kansas. We were crammed into the backseat. These boys sounded as if they were fresh off the boat from Germany — their accents thick and guttural to my ears even though I was used to grandparents who spoke a mixture of English and German gibberish. Stuck in the backseat with a child, the boys offered to teach me a game.
I sat and waited. I had come to the nursing home to visit an old friend after learning that she was close to death. When I arrived and asked for directions to her room, I was told that it would be a few minutes until I could go into the room, so I sat and watched as elderly residents walked or were wheeled through the lobby. Others sat alone or engaged in conversations with those around them. I couldn’t ignore the thought that there is a difference between living somewhere and being at home.
She’s a good neighbor with an upbeat attitude. Even though macular degeneration has limited some of Lenora Graham’s activities, she still is able to drive in the area and do one thing she believes is important — deliver Meals on Wheels to her neighbors in Florence.
Irene Seibel of Hillsboro can’t remember a time before she knew how to quilt. It was a skill her mother, Anna Suderman, taught her at an early age. “In those days we made quilts for utility sake, not just for hobbies or to look nice,” Seibel said Friday while quilting at Quilts and Quiltracks, downtown Hillsboro.
The senior population is growing rapidly. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, by this year there will be twice the amount of seniors that there were in 2000. That’s because the first Baby Boomers will turn 65 this year. Boomers should start thinking about estate planning now if they haven’t already. Estate planning is the process of dissolving the items and property owned, as well as making end-of-life arrangements. Taking steps while one is physically and mentally able ensures that plans will be carried out as a person desired. It can also alleviate some of the burden on surviving family members when the time comes.
Perhaps no medical issue flies under the radar more than stress. A recent survey by the American Psychological Association found that one-third of Americans are living with extreme stress, while close to half of all survey respondents felt their stress levels are on the rise. While stress is a problem, stress is not solely a byproduct of work, and those without work-related stress can still be overwhelmed by feelings of stress. Simply put, stress can affect everyone, even the nation’s retirees. While retirement is often seen as a chance to relax and enjoy the fruits of a life’s worth of labors, retirement can also be a stressful time for many people.
With heavy snowfall in recent weeks, Goessel schools have exceeded the number of cancellations they could have without making up class time. Goessel USD 411 has used six snow days, Superintendent John Fast said. The district will definitely need to add one day, maybe two, he said. District personnel are calculating whether the second makeup day will be necessary. The district will have school Monday, which was a scheduled day off, Fast said. USD 411 Board of Education approved the makeup day at its meeting Monday.
Superintendent Lee Leiker previewed the district’s budget Monday at the USD 408 Board of Education meeting. The district’s total, unaudited budget this year is $5,464,494, which was $101,946 less than the year before.
Marion Middle School seventh-grade scholars’ bowl team began its season by placing second out of nine teams at the Hutchinson Trinity Junior High Invitational on Monday. The Wildcats posted a 7-1 record. They defeated Inman I, 40-30; Inman II, 50-10; Remington, 50-40; Moundridge, 50-10; Hesston, 40-30; Hutch Trinity I, 30-20; and Hutch Trinity II, 30-20. Their lone loss was against Andale, 40-30, in the championship match.
CENTRE:
Granzow resigns as CHS vocational ag teacher,
Centre scholars third in state,
Centre FFA places 2nd,
Jirak, team score high in FBLA contest
The Marion High School girls team lost 36-31 Tuesday to Inman in Marion. Center Whitney Gordon kept the Warriors in a game that seemed destined to be an easy Inman victory.
The Marion High School basketball team started its game Friday against Bennington on a 10-0 run. While the Warriors allowed Bennington to answer with a 7-point run and bring the score within 3 with 2 minutes, 57 seconds left in the game, Marion led the entire way and held on for a 51-43 victory. After opening the game with back-to-back double digit scoring quarters, the Warriors started to lose control of the game in the third quarter. They struggled to score, posting an 8-point quarter.
Even with a slow start to the contest, the Marion High School girls basketball team cruised to a 52-32 victory over Bennington Friday in Marion. It took 4 minutes of game time before either team would light up the score board, it happened to be the Bulldogs who struck first with a Lindsay Curl layup off a Shelby Modin assist.
The Marion High School wrestling team finished second Saturday in the Chase County Tournament with 133.5 total points. Brody Carroll, 130; Cole Lewman, 140; and Andy Shipman, 145, took first place in their weight classes. Eric Regnier, 119, and Randy Regnier, 125, took second. Andrew Kjellin finished fourth in the 189-pound class.
Four members of the Marion Junior Wrestling club placed at the Hutchinson youth tournament Saturday. Hunter Helmer finished third in the 8 and younger, 110-pound weight class; Luke Lanning finished third in the 10 and younger, 110-pound class; Tyler Palic finished second in the 10 and younger, 120-pound weight class; Jarret McLindon finished second in the 10 and younger, 150-pound class.
CENTRE:
Burhoop leads Cougars to easy victory,
Lady Cougars lose to Wakefield