Marion County RECORD

Fire strikes Florence school

The first week in February was filled with excitement for the volunteers of the Florence Fire Department. The fire squad smothered the flames of a stubborn fire not once, but twice. The fire was originally reported just after 7 p.m. Jan. 31 but wasn’t officially communicated to an emergency dispatcher until after 3 a.m. on Feb. 1.

Mayfield makes petition mistake

David Mayfield gathered more than enough signatures for his petition filing for the upcoming Marion City Council election. He only needed 25 and he got 30. However, only three signatures on any of his three petition forms actually counted.

Quail Creek Road has problems

Jenni Svitak, Fern Leach, and Kimberly Kroupa nominated Quail Creek Road, between Ramona and 290th Road, for a closer look at the road’s condition. “Quail Creek from Ramona to (290th) is horrible,” Kroupa wrote. “I’m getting to the point that I prefer to drive on the rock and dirt roads more than the paved — which, when I use that term, would include all the roads we rock that are supposed to eventually get paved — roads.”

Legion to honor veterans

Area military personnel who have completed tours of duty in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa will be honored Feb. 18 with a homecoming celebration at the VFW post in Marion. American Legion Post 22 and VFW Post 6958 are collaborating to provide an opportunity for the community to show its appreciation .

Centre students thank supporters

The parking lot at Centre USD 397 was filled to overflowing Monday as special guests invited by the students came to receive recognition for their support. Students sat with their guests — often parents or grandparents, but also teachers or friends. Superintendent Jerri Kemble said more than 500 people, including students and staff, attended.

Florence dedicates fire truck

The Florence Fire Department unveiled its newest fire truck, a 2012 Ford, Sunday at its annual pancake feed. “Every year the Fire Department puts on a pancake feed, and the proceeds go to new equipment and things such as the new truck,” Florence Fire Chief Mark Slater said. “This event is what keeps the department moving up.”

Leland E. Chizek

Leland E. Chizek, 86, of Lincolnville died Feb. 7, 2012 in Wichita. He was born Nov. 27, 1925, in Agenda to Edward V. and Martha (Hajek) Chizek.

Ernest E. Harlan

Ernest E. Harlan, 90, died Feb. 4, 2012, at Holiday Resort in Emporia. He was born Jan. 11, 1922, on a farm north of Madison to Roy M. and Maggie Mae Claunch Harlan. He attended grade school at Rock Valley School and served in the U.S. Army during World War II, working on construction of the Alaskan Highway.

Gerald Megenity

Gerald Wayne “Jerry” Megenity, 64, of St. Petersburg, Fla., died Jan. 27, 2012, at Bay Pines VA Health care Center in Bay Pins, Fla. He was born Dec. 18, 1947, to Francis Sweeney and M. Irene (Ramsey) Megenity in Salina.

Lawrence V. Morgan

Lawrence V. “Larry” Morgan, 91, of Hope died Feb. 1, 2012, at Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita. He was born April 12, 1920, on the family farm near Hope to John F. and Clara E. (Buttel) Morgan.

Angela Thiessen

Angela C. Thiessen, 20, of Burns died in her sleep on Feb. 1, 2012. She was born May 2, 1991, to Gary and Monica Krehbiel Thiessen. She was a beautician at The Parlor in El Dorado.

Jerald Unruh

Jerald Dean Unruh, 69, of Hillsboro died Feb. 2, 2012 at Parkside Homes, Hillsboro. He was born Jan. 13, 1943, in Wichita to Walter and Marcella (Groening) Unruh. He was an auto mechanic and rancher.

Accidents reported

Civil cases

County jail

Criminal cases

Deeds

Emergency reports

Hillsboro police

Offenses

Peabody police

Peabody court

Traffic cases

Group organizes to defeat poverty

Marion County can be an isolated place, and sometimes residents feel like the location has immunity from negative parts of life. “We have blinders on,” Marion Presbyterian Church pastor Jeremiah Lange said. “We live our lives without being affected by people.”

Professor leaves estate gift for Tabor

The estate of former Tabor College chemistry professor William J. Johnson has made a $50,000 gift to the college. The estate gift will be used in three distinct areas to improve the capacity of chemistry studies at Tabor College and to encourage students in the field by providing scholarships. The funds will be used to purchase new and necessary equipment for the college’s chemistry department, further enrich the endowed Wm. J. Johnson Scholarship, and purchase new chemistry-related materials for the library.

Hillsboro sisters give $1M to Bethel

Dorothea Franzen and Ruth Franzen, sisters who grew up in Hillsboro and spent their lives involved in academia, made an estate gift of more than $1 million to Bethel College in North Newton, the college recently announced. A portion of the estate gifts is restricted to the sciences and will be used to establish a science equipment endowment.

Meier figures taxes, helps friends

Wanda Meier of Meier Tax Service in Marion, 73, figures about 1,000 income tax returns each year. If she was considering retirement, which she is not, it is likely her friends and customers would not let her have a break, even after 51 years in the business. “Wanda is regular, like me,” longtime customer Bobbi Jo Linder said. “She listens to me and gives me advice on more than just taxes. But she understands if I need this back in a week, she will get it ready for me.”

Marion commission approves bond resolution

Marion County Commission approved two bond resolutions at its meeting Monday. The first was bonds for the jail project worth $3,510,000.

City health rates drop

Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Kansas representative Tim Oglesby had unexpectedly good news Monday for Marion City Council about new health insurance rates for the city that will kick in March 1. “A number of things came together for me to be able to deliver a 32 percent decrease in the rates,” Oglesby said. “The benefits are exactly the same, nothing has changed.

Huelskamp accepting interns

Kansas 1st congressional district Rep. Tim Huelskamp is accepting internships for summer 2012. Interested college-age students can apply to work in Huelskamp’s Dodge City, Hutchinson, Salina, and Washington, D.C., offices. In the Kansas offices, interns may be asked to do a variety of things, including day-to-day office work such as answering phones, writing letters and assisting with media clips. In addition, interns may be assigned to assist in various constituent casework or work on district-based projects of importance.

State offers voter ID

Starting this year, Kansans must present photo identification at the polls before voting in local and state government elections in accordance with the voter identification provision of the Kansas Secure and Fair Elections Act. Kansas Department of Health and Environment Office of Vital Statistics has developed guidelines for residents who wish to obtain a non-driver free identification card. They may apply for a free birth certificate, which will enable them to receive a free photo ID card from the Division of Vehicles.

Extension office plans seminars

Kansas State University Research and Extension will have an in-depth Sorghum School on Feb. 15 at the Burns Community Center. The one-day seminar will cover issues facing sorghum producers, including profit potential, weed control strategies, and planting, fertility, and insect and disease management. The seminar is sponsored by the Kansas Grain Sorghum Commission. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m., and the program begins at 9:45 a.m. and will wrap up by mid-afternoon. Lunch is included.

City supports tax credit

The Marion City Council, with three members present for a special meeting at noon Thursday, approved a resolution in support of a housing tax credit application for Homestead Affordable Housing. A special meeting was necessary because the deadline for Homestead Affordable Housing’s tax credit application through the Kansas Housing Resource Corporation was Friday.

Everybody needs a Super Bowl

The Super Bowl came and went pretty fast this year. I am sure there was the usual hoopla and hysteria surrounding it, but life was busy, and I didn’t pay too much attention to the contenders until pre-game festivities started. Once I settled in to watch the game with my family, I realized how nice it was just to forget the rest of the world for a while and hang on to the suspense of the moment, play-by-play, living emotional extremes with the athletes in action.

Another Day in the Country

My mother loved pale pink and pastel blue. They were her favorite colors, echoed in everything she chose. Her dresses, variations on a color theme of pinks and blues. Muted pink and blue stripes, tiny pink flowers on a pale pink background, blue dots on white. She made her own clothes and fretted over newer pattern styles, “Who wears these?” she wondered: shifts, sack dresses, caftans, pants? The styles she hungered for had peplums, edgings of lace, ruffles, gathers in the skirt, smocking, puffed sleeves.

Brookens comments on water rights

In this last week, the House passed a bill to eliminate “use-it-or-lose-it” for water rights in areas where water is in short supply and is closed to drilling new wells. Currently, a person must pump water for irrigation or other purposes at least every five years, whether the water is needed or not, or risk losing the right to use it later. We hope this change in policy will encourage conservation in dry parts of Kansas, particularly in the area using the Ogalallah Aquifer. It does not impact us in central Kansas; our water sufficiency did not indicate a need for this change, and we can watch how this bill works before considering other changes.

What's in a name?

Each one of us has a name that was picked out for us because it had some family significance, the meaning of the name was important, or because it simply sounded good. Recently I was at an event where I was being introduced to people as “Jeremiah”, my preferred name, and a few times as I was leaving brief conversations individual’s said, “It was nice to meet you, Jeremy.” Now there is nothing wrong with the name, Jeremy, it is a fine name; it’s simply not my name. This experience and ones like it got me wondering whether this situation is unique to me, or whether it is something that a lot of us deal with. I know when I meet someone introduced as “Robert,” I don’t call him “Bob”, and when I meet someone named “James,” I don’t call him “Jim”. To my knowledge no one has called our daughter Sadie, “Sarah,” If they did I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t respond.

Storm spotter meeting Feb. 16

Marion County Emergency Management Department, in cooperation with the National Weather Service, will present “Storm Fury on the Plains” at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 16 at USD 408 Performing Arts Center in Marion. The event will include a multimedia presentation, lecture, and question-and-answer session.

Happy Hustlers meet

At its Jan. 2 meeting at Marion Christian Church, the Happy Hustlers 4-H Club voted to hold their February meeting Friday. Cathy Martin reported the lock-in would be Friday and Saturday at Eastmoor United Methodist Church.

Child screening free at Peabody

Marion County Early Intervention Services will have a free screening for children 5 years old or younger Tuesday at Peabody Methodist Church, 403 N. Sycamore St., Peabody. Learning, motor, language, and social development will be checked. There will also be vision and hearing screenings. The process usually takes at least an hour to complete.

Hillsboro blood drive Feb. 20

The American Red Cross will have a blood drive from 1 to 6 p.m. Feb. 20 at Parkview Mennonite Church, 610 S. Main St., Hillsboro. Winter is a difficult time to keep blood supplies at adequate levels because winter weather forces cancellation of numerous blood drives.

King receives commendation medal

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Daniel A. King has been awarded the Army Commendation Medal. The medal is awarded to individuals who, while serving in any capacity with the Army, have distinguished themselves by acts of heroism, meritorious achievement, or meritorious service.

Lincolnville approves part-time clinic

Two representatives of Herington Municipal Hospital, including administrator Mike Ryan, attended the Lincolnville City Council meeting Monday to request permission to use facilities at the city building for a part-time clinic. The initial request was made at the Jan. 3 meeting. The council responded at that meeting by changing city hall policy to allow the building to be used for city business “and/or city council-approved business beneficial to the community.”

Kiwanis celebrates 97th birthday

On Jan. 21, Kiwanis celebrated its 97th birthday. The Kiwanis Club had a beginning membership of 60. It now has a million members. Marion Kiwanis members Pauline Holub, Marlin Buchholz, Al Ash, Shirley Bowers, and Feebie Holdeman attended a Division 4 meeting in Emporia. District Governor Brad Schields shared information about fundraising for the international project ELIMINATE maternal/neonatal tetanus.

Davies and Meyer advance with piano

Two piano students from Marion High School have qualified for the State Piano Festival that will be at Tabor College in Hillsboro later in February. Nicholas Davies, a student of Anita Hancock, and Nicholas Meyer, a student of Wanda Williams, both received a 1 rating at the Regional Piano Festival on Feb. 4 at Bethany College.

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Case wins Marion school medallion hunt

USD 408 recently completed a medallion hunt on school property. Sixth grade teacher Nikki Case was the winner. She found the medallion after the fifth of six clues. She located the marker underneath a trash receptacle in the school bus barn; Case was tipped off by a clue that said “Useless waste or rejected matter, I am outside both day and night.”

Local students complete K-State degrees

Almost 1,300 students completed degrees at Kansas State University in the fall, including seven from Marion County. New graduates from Marion County are:

Centre scholars advance to state

Centre High School was the site of a regional class 1A-D1 scholars’ bowl tournament on Thursday, and the host team was among the teams that advanced to state competition. The CHS Cougars were 3-1 in pool play with victories over Goessel, 50-25, Flint Hills Rosalia, 70-10, and Waverly, 40-20. They lost to Wakefield, 50-40.

Musicians to play in honor band

Seven Marion students traveled Saturday to Emporia to play in the Youth for Music Honor Band sponsored by Flint Hills Music. Marion Middle School band members Reann Hamm, Adam Kjellin, and Sarah Tajchman were directed by Johanna Cox of Lawrence Public Schools.

WSU announces fall honor roll

Several Wichita State University students from Marion County were named to the university’s fall 2011 dean’s honor roll. To be included on the dean’s honor roll, a student must be enrolled full time with at least 12 credit hours and earn a grade point average of 3.5 or better. Marion

Season ends at regionals for MHS scholars

The Marion High School scholars’ bowl team wrapped up its season with a 2-5 record at the regional tournament Thursday in Douglass. Marion scored wins against Leon-Bluestem, 40-30, and Sedgwick, 50-20.

Marion wrestlers mix it up

The Marion High School Warrior wrestling team grappled head-to-head with seven different schools in dual competition Thursday and Friday, emerging with a 3-4 record overall. Marion scored wins Thursday at Remington over Eureka, 48-27, and the host Broncos, 59-3.

MHS girls lose basketball game to Berean

For a team building confidence with wins in two of their last three games, what the Marion High School Lady Warriors didn’t need Friday was a matchup against Berean Academy, ranked fourth in the state in Class 2A. Berean easily mastered the Lady Warriors, 55-37, at USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center. Berean dominated play from the outset, raining 3-pointers as they raced to a 23-6 advantage at the end of the first quarter. Berean defenders repeatedly disrupted Marion’s offense by forcing turnovers and harassing shooters, leaving the Lady Warriors to score mostly off of missed shots.

Boys' team defeated by Berean

Some Warriors’ fans went home happy Friday following the Marion High School boys’ basketball game at USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center. Just not the right ones, as the visiting Berean Academy Warriors scored a 47-39 road victory. Marion got off to a promising start when Mikael Antosyck hit a jumper along the left baseline at 7 minutes, 5 seconds of the opening period to give Marion an early 2-0 lead. But an 8-0 run by Berean, fueled by baskets from four different players, had Marion playing from behind early, and the home Warriors never reclaimed the lead the rest of the game.

Kiwanis starts batting cage fund

Marion Kiwanis Club recently gave a $200 donation to improve the batting cage at the Marion Baseball/Softball Complex. The net in the batting cage has deteriorated over the years, making it unsafe. Marion Baseball/Softball Boosters are trying to raise money to replace the net and add artificial turf to the cage before spring practices start for the high school teams later this month.

Centre girls win against Goessel

Playing for a large crowd Friday at Centre High School’s winter homecoming, the Lady Cougars basketball team defeated Goessel, 45-24. After a layup by Shelby Makovec, Goessel’s Johanna Hoffman made a 3-pointer, giving Goessel a 3-2 lead. It was to be the Lady Bluebirds’ only lead of the game.

Cougar boys lose to Goessel

In Centre High School’s winter homecoming game Friday against Goessel, the Bluebirds came out on top, 65-56. It was a hard-fought contest. After a 3-3 tie in the opening minutes on a 3-pointer by Goessel’s Shane Goertzen and a field goal by Kyle Methvin and free throw by Justin Deines, the Cougars fell behind. A 9-point run by the Bluebirds gave them a 12-3 lead.

Dieters wait for love

Stories of high school prom dates that blossom into romance and marriage aren’t unusual. One that took more than 40 years, and a garden half a continent wide to bloom, is special. In 1955, Marion High School juniors Jerry Dieter and Lenore Wheeler weren’t sweethearts, just familiar friends and neighbors who attended the same church. Dieter’s responsibilities on the family farm kept him too occupied for romance.

Frantz plays with flowers

Several years ago, Jan Frantz said she would never go into the flower business again. But with the biggest floral holiday of the year coming next week, and 600 roses scheduled for delivery by Saturday at her new shop, Jan’s Floral Design in Hillsboro, she knows there is truth to the old adage, “never say never”. “I keep coming back to the flowers,” Frantz said. “It is just part of who I am. The creative part of me just loves to play with them. This doesn’t feel like work, it’s just like playing.”

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