Marion County RECORD

All ages take up trapping as hobby

The fur industry in Kansas is not large, in fact, those who trap or shoot common furbearing mammals in Kansas, such as coyote, raccoon, bobcats, and opossum for their pelts, are considered a rare breed by Myron Graber of Graber Fur Company, near Cheney. Five Marion County wildlife entrepreneurs met Graber at Johnson’s General Store near Florence on Saturday to sell their recent catches. They ranged in age from 10 to past retirement, but all had a stake in the fur market and similar reasons for carrying on their trade.

St. Luke welcomes nurse practitioner

Jaynette Miller of rural Goessel began work Monday as an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, in family practice at St. Luke Hospital in Marion. “We’ve been seeing 18 to 22 patients on a daily basis and it will be so nice to have two of us here to free up appointments,” said St. Luke Hospital ARNP Melissa Batteron.

Replacing Duckwall stores is priority

One year ago, Marion, Herington, and Council Grove all said goodbye to their Duckwall stores, casualties of corporate realignment by Duckwall-Alco Stores Inc. to focus solely on their Alco brand. The closures have left communities scrambling to find alternatives to fill the void, as they try to provide residents with local access to needed products and stem the outflow of sales and sales tax dollars to other cities and counties.

Florence woman killed near Walton

Roberta Ann Winter, 50, of Florence died Monday from injuries sustained in a three-vehicle accident just after 5 p.m. northeast of Walton on U.S. 50. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol accident report, Luke Schmidt, 30, of Socorro, N.M., was driving a 1998 Honda CRV eastbound on U.S. 50, and had stopped to make a left-hand turn onto East Lake Road, which becomes Indigo Road as it crosses into Marion county.

Marion teens ok after rollover

A flurry of worst-case scenarios raced through Jennifer Frese’s mind when she received a phone call after 11 p.m. Saturday from Landon Petersen, 15. He was at the scene of a crash of her 16-year-old daughter’s car, submerged 5 feet deep in a creek, flowing by 160th Road south of Marion County Lake. “My reaction was, ‘Oh my goodness.’ How quickly could I get there?” Frese said.

Lake aiming for marshmallow record

Marion County will attempt to set a world record for the number of people toasting marshmallows around a single fire later this year, Marion County Park and Lake Superintendent Steve Hudson said Monday. In June 2011, a ferocious windstorm knocked countless limbs out of trees in Marion and at the county lake. Much of the debris at the lake made its way to a pile south of the lake, where it still sits.

Highway patrol investigating rollover accident

Kirby Jahnke, 40, 603 N. B St., Ramona, was in a one-vehicle accident on 340th Road west of Timber Road at 12:10 a.m. Jan. 1. Jahnke, driving his 2001 Ford Focus. He lost control of the car on the gravel road, propelling it into the north ditch and rolling the vehicle. Jahnke was able to get out of the vehicle and walk to a nearby residence to ask for help. The people at the residence called 911 and Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Scott Proffitt, at the time driving near Lincolnville, was the first on the scene.

Philip Bowen

Philip George Bowen, 58, of Peabody died Saturday in Peabody. He was born June 23, 1953, in Hillsboro to Robert and Esther (Liggett) Bowen. He married Connie Sue Weiser on Dec. 4, 1992.

Beatrice Klein

Beatrice Johanna Henke Klein was born Feb. 24, 1924, in Lincolnville to Herman and Emma (Kaiser) Henke. When she was two weeks old, her parents moved to a farm northwest of Lincolnville, where she grew up. She was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lincolnville. She attended the Lutheran school for eight year and graduated from Lincolnville High School. She was married to Harold Swanson in September 1945 after he came home from serving in Germany in World War II. They resided in Burdick and on a farm near Lincolnville, where their sons Richard Wayne and Dennis Keith were born. Harold then re-enlisted in the Army and they moved to Junction City. While Harold spent a year serving in the Korean War, Rene Eugene, their third son, was born. He was 4 years old when his father returned from the war.

Anna Busenitz

Anna E. Busenitz, 89, died Jan. 4, 2012, at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita. She was born Feb. 13, 1922, in Newton to Herman and Anna (Harder) Entz.

Allen Jay Hein

Allen Jay Hein, 82, of Winfield died Friday in Winfield. He was born on March 10, 1929, to Jake and Anna (Blackim) Hein of Hillsboro. He grew up in Marion and married his high school sweetheart, Jean Muse, on Aug. 27, 1950.

Elton O. Kirstein

Elton O. Kirstein, retired Baptist minister, died Dec. 31, 2011. He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Ruth; a daughter, Jeannie Hett; a sister, Clara Nelson; five grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren.

Elsie Tittle

Elsie Berniece Tittle, 92, died Jan. 6, 2012, at St. Luke Living Center in Marion. She was born Jan. 16, 1919, in rural Florence to Numa Roberts and Gertrude Bunting. She worked at Sauble Egg Processing in Cedar Point and was a homemaker.

Clayton L. Strome

Clayton L. Strome, 88, of Herington died Jan. 3, 2012, at Herington Municipal Hospital. He was born Sept. 30, 1923, on a farm southeast of Abilene to John C. and Elizabeth C. (Biehler) Strome.

Roberta Winter

Roberta Winter, 50, of Florence died Monday in a motor vehicle accident near Walton. Services are pending with Zeiner Funeral home, Marion.

Rose M. Zinn

Rose M. Zinn, 69, died Jan. 3, 2012, at Herington Municipal Hospital. She was born on July 16, 1942, in Herington to Paul E. and Treva C. (Adam) Kellogg. She was a homemaker and drove a school bus for Centre USD 397 for many years. She graduated from Herington High School in 1960.

Accidents reported

Deeds

Emergency responses

Hillsboro police report

Jail roster

Offenses

Peabody police report

Marion police chief appointed

Marion City Council officially promoted assistant police chief Tyler Mermis to chief of police. He will receive a salary of $42,000. The council approved Mayor Mary Olson’s appointment after a 10-minute executive session.

Lake tenants, county find common ground on rules

Officers of the Friends of Marion County Lake Association, representing families that rent space for manufactured homes, and Marion County Commission reached a consensus on revising rules for the trailer court Monday. Association President Jim Bratt, Vice President Mike Crane, and Secretary Karen Spinden presented a proposal that had been reviewed and approved by the association’s members, which includes 47 of the 56 trailer tenants.

City election filing deadline Jan. 24

The deadline to file for city council elections in Marion, Hillsboro, and Burns is noon Jan. 24. Filing requires either a $5 fee or a petition signed by a number of eligible voters in the city, 25 in Marion and Hillsboro or five in Burns. Candidates may either file in the Marion County Clerk’s office or with their city clerk.

Jail sales tax could end in 8 years

Interest rates for municipal bonds have remained low enough that Marion County may be able to end sales tax to fund construction of a new jail in eight to 12 years, David Arteberry of bond underwriters George K. Baum & Co. told Marion County Commission on Monday. Because interest rates have remained low, he determined that the county would have more than enough revenue from the 0.5 percent sales tax to meet a 12-year bond schedule. He estimated the annual payments would be $345,000 per year. Based on an average of the past five years, projected annual sales tax revenue would be $527,000, about 50 percent more than the payments.

Help identify which roads to repair

Two weeks ago, we asked dozens of Marion County residents to list what they thought the county’s New Year resolutions should be. As revealed by the 21 comments selected for publication, two issues dominated: roads and economic development. We applaud recent actions by the County Commission and especially the county’s new roads and bridges superintendent to change the culture of county road crews, prioritize road projects, and begin addressing the most urgent needs.

Common ground

I was treated Monday to a sight that isn’t nearly common enough these days: people taking a conflict and turning it into a dialogue, looking for compromise and cooperation. Officers of the Friends of Marion County Lake Association — formed last year in response to discussions about increasing annual rent for trailer spaces at the lake — met with Marion County Commission to discuss updating the rules for trailer court tenants.

If I had one wish

Didn’t I read it in The Marion Record? There were people making a wish for the New Year, right? I only remember a couple of them: 1. No amusement rides at the fair, 2. Better roads, 3. More gravel on Kyle’s road. That’s all I can remember. Surely someone must have said something about world peace, they always do. As I recall their wishes were for Marion County, so we could make it county peace or just peace within our little towns.

Spiral up like eagles

A co-worker recently told me about these spiral wires the electric company was installing to keep birds off the lines. Now I have no idea why birds would not be welcome on high wire lines anymore, but it got me to thinking about the things that seem to be spiraling either down or up in my life. I have always taken the philosophy that life is a balancing act and one who finds the right balance is happy. After reading through docket and police news in the paper this week, I now wonder if life is more like a spiral for many in Marion County, with circumstances running unchecked until it is too late to grab control and straighten things out.

Church honoring paster in Marion

Good News Christian Fellowship will hold a service of appreciation followed by a reception for retiring Pastor Larry King and his wife Jane at 2 p.m. Sunday at the church. Current and former members and other friends of Larry and Jane are invited to attend. The church address is 310 S. Coble St., Marion.

Film festival tour stopping in McPherson

The Tallgrass Film Festival Road Show, featuring a 93-minute presentation of 10 short films that were audience favorites at the Wichita Tallgrass Film Festival, will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday at the McPherson Opera House. The Tallgrass Film Festival was founded in Wichita nine years ago, and the Road Show brings the films to historic theaters, sponsored by the Kansas Historical Theatres Association, of which the McPherson Opera House is a charter member.

Flint Hills RECA gets grant

The January issue of “Kansas Country Living” reports that Flint Hills Rural Electric Cooperative Association, headquartered in Council Grove, was awarded a $4.6 million grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The grant will provide 75 percent of the cost for retrofitting and strengthening 143 miles of electrical distribution facilities in Marion County. Through the FEMA-approved engineering design, the facilities will be able to better withstand the effects of wind and ice loading in the future. The design will include stronger poles on shorter span lengths using aluminum conductor.

Auxiliary meeting is Jan. 19

The St. Luke Auxiliary will have their annual meeting at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19. Election and installation of officers will take place at the meeting, and Auxiliary members can make their pledge payment to the St. Luke Foundation. An annual report will be available for all those in attendance.

Business consulting available

Entrepreneurs planning to start or expand a business can receive free consulting Jan. 18 from the Emporia State University Kansas Small Business Development Center. Consultations will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Butler Community College-Marion Campus at 412 N. 2nd St., Marion. The consulting services are confidential.

Local manufacturers unaffected by Boeing move

While Boeing’s announcement that the company will close its Wichita plant in 2013 is bad news for many, there will be no direct affect on local manufacturers. Neither Marion Die & Fixture nor Marion Manufacturing makes parts for the aircraft company, employees at both companies said Friday.

Wiens relatives celebrate Christmas

The family of Mary Ann Wiens celebrated Christmas on Dec. 26 with a dinner at Eastmoor United Methodist Church parish hall in Marion. The dinner included traditional Christmas ham with homemade horseradish, pluma moos, and steamed date pudding.

Bill and Rosalie Carr celebrate 50 years

William Carr married Rosalie Dohner on Jan. 14, 1962, in Marion. The couple recently celebrated its 50th wedding anniversary Dec. 21 and 22 in Kansas City with their children and grandchildren: Debra and David Webb, Lee, and Luke; and Douglas and Chris Carr, Derek, Allison, Elyssa, and Adrianne.

Neo-Century Club watches a movie

The Neo-Century Club met Jan. 2 at Hilltop Manor in Marion. Following the business meeting members watched a movie, with refreshments served by Shirley Carlson and Marge Christensen during intermission. The next meeting will be Feb. 6. Members are to bring three signed valentines for nursing home residents. Belinda Skiles will give the program, “Your Cup of Tea.”

CDDO to meet Jan. 23

The board of directors of the Harvey-Marion County CDDO will hold its regular monthly meeting 4:30 Jan. 23. The meeting will be held at the Harvey-Marion County CDDO office, 500 N. Main St., Suite #204, Newton.

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USD 408 upgrades phone technology

The Marion-Florence USD 408 Board of Education approved an upgrade to the district’s phone system Monday, taking advantage of advanced technology and realizing significant cost benefits at the same time. Superintendent Lee Leiker presented a proposal to change from the current landline configuration to an Internet-based voice-over IP system utilizing the network provided through the Technology Excellence in Education Network (TEEN) collaborative.

Students earn degree, certification

Matthew Holland completed the requirements to become a certified public accountant in October, and Katie Holland earned a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of Central Oklahoma on Dec. 17. Former Marion residents George and Patsy Waner are their grandparents.

Marion Elementary box top drive successful

Marion Elementary School has received a check for $1,587 from General Mills for their first-semester Box Tops for Education drive. Retired teacher Marj Sandberg spearheaded the drive, which started this summer, MES Principal Justin Wasmuth said.

Centre scholars compete at Council Grove

The Centre High School scholars’ bowl team competed Saturday at Council Grove. The Cougars compiled a 1-3 record in pool play, defeating Herington, 70-60. The team lost tight matches against Manhattan, 70-60, and Southeast of Saline, 50-40. They also lost to Abilene, 70-40. Their 1-3 record was not enough to advance them to the championship rounds.

Centre school board announces clerk trainee

Sharon Simons, the kindergarten through 12th-grade secretary at Centre USD 397, was re-assigned Monday by the board of education to train for the board clerk position. The current board clerk, Peggy Falen, plans to retire when Simons has completed her training. Simons will receive $18 an hour during the training period. The board will advertise for a new K-12 secretary.

Local students honored on Tabor College Dean's list

Tabor College announced its Dean’s List for the fall 2011 semester, with 172 students receiving honors, including many from Marion County. To qualify for the Dean’s List, a student must fit into one of three categories based on grade point average: Highest Honors, 3.85 to 4.00; High Honors, 3.70 to 3.849; or Honors, 3.50 to 3.699.

Financial planning helps people keep their money

Financial planning is not rocket science. In fact, setting a budget, tracking income and expenses, and setting financial goals are things most people can do for themselves, according to Robert Wall in Hillsboro. “The problem most people run into is that they don’t see the need to start planning until the table is already set before them,” Wall said. “It is never too late to put together a financial plan and then find ways to make it work, but it is a lot easier if people get started earlier in life, before they find themselves in trouble.”

Calculate pension benefits online

One of the most crucial aspects of financial planning is knowing Social Security retirement benefit amounts. An instant, personalized estimate of future retirement benefits is available online from the Social Security Administration’s website.

Beef calf prices increase as cowherds dwindle

Area cow-calf producers are profiting from the demand for beef around the world, especially the high-quality beef produced by American ranchers. Tracy Brunner, manager of Cow Camp Feedyard at Ramona, said there were several reasons for the increasingly scarce supplies of feeder cattle. He said rapidly increasing feed and fuel costs have discouraged production. In addition, because of high prices for corn and soybeans, farmers have shifted grazing land into crop production.

Want to move from employee to employer?

A free workshop in Emporia this month is designed to help residents interested in starting their own small business. The two-hour workshop Jan. 26 will offer information about marketing, management, and money that will help participants assess the feasibility of their ideas and start writing business plans.

Warriors lose to Moundridge, 66-45

The Marion High School Warriors stood toe-to-toe Friday with Class 3A third-ranked Moundridge through three quarters. In the fourth, the Wildcats turned up the heat, and ran away with a 66-45 victory at USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center. “It was a closer game than what that score indicated. We were within six or so at the end of the third quarter,” Marion head coach Jeff McMillin said.

Lady Warriors defeated 53-11

After losses to Hillsboro, ranked second in Kansas Class 3A, and Remington, what the Marion High School Lady Warriors needed Friday was a more-evenly matched foe. Instead, they got Moundridge. The Lady Wildcats came to USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center ranked ninth in Class 3A by the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association, with their only two losses coming against Hillsboro and seventh-ranked Garden Plain.

Lady Cougars win one, lose one

In a home game Jan. 3, the Centre High School varsity girls’ basketball team defeated Peabody-Burns, 41-27. They were defeated Friday at White City, 48-36. Good scoring in the second half could not overcome poor scoring in the first half. White City took an 11-6 lead in the first quarter and kept Centre scoreless in the second quarter to lead by 15 points at halftime.

Centre boys drop two basketball games

Last week proved to be a downer for the Centre Cougars basketball team. They lost to Peabody-Burns in a home game on Jan. 3 and were defeated Friday by White City. At White City, after trailing by 3 points at halftime, 22-19, the Cougars only scored 16 points compared to 32 by the Huskies.

CJHS girls get easy victory

In a home game Thursday, the Centre Junior High School varsity girls’ basketball team defeated Solomon, 29-13. After a competitive 10-8 first quarter, with Centre leading, the Solomon girls added just 5 points compared to 19 by Centre.

Marion boys knock off Sedgwick in upset

Fresh off of a loss Friday to Moundridge, ranked third in Class 3A, the Marion High School Warriors faced off Tuesday against the fourth-ranked team, Sedgwick, at USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center. As much as any, the final play of the first half demonstrated Marion’s desire to win. With 17 seconds remaining, Jordan Hett turned a steal into a court-length drive that brought Marion to within one point at halftime, 23-24.

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