Marion County RECORD

Collett appointed in Dickinson County

Keith L. Collett, a partner in the Marion law firm of Brookens & Collett, has been appointed Dickinson County District Magistrate Judge for the 8th Judicial District, effective June 6. Collett will replace John E. Barker, who retired April 16 after serving 25 years in the position.

Marion council strikes residency code

The Marion City Council gave preliminary approval Monday to revisions of six ordinances, including one which would remove the residency requirement currently imposed on certain positions. When the charter ordinance establishing the five-member council was passed in 2005, it required the city administrator, city clerk, deputy city clerk, and city treasurer to live within a three-mile radius of the city.

Swim team plans for season

Marion Swim Team will have an organizing meeting at 7 p.m. today in the Marion Elementary School cafeteria. The goals of the team are to learn and improve competitive swimming strokes, exercise and increase fitness, be part of a team, and have fun. The first day of practice will be May 29. Practices are regularly scheduled Monday through Friday, with times determined by ability and age group: 13 and older, 7:45 to 9 a.m.; 9 to 12 years old, 9 to 10 a.m.; 8 and younger, 10 to 10:45 a.m.

Bakery to open in Hillsboro

With remodeling going smoothly in Hillsboro’s “red barn” on Main Street, Rachel Schmidt is optimistic that she will be able to open her Norel Farms Bakery the first week of June. Remodeling has taken a lot of work, Schmidt said. The exterior shell of the building is about the only thing that is the same as when she and her husband, Norman Schmidt, bought the building.

Florence Spring Fling raises anniversary funds

The Florence Labor Day committee held its annual Spring Fling on Saturday. The event featured kids’ games, a Mexican meal, “One Minute to Win It” competition, dessert auction, and raffle. Winning first place in the 5 to 15 age group of “One Minute to Win It” were Cody Parmley of Cedar Point and Layne Pettijohn of Agra. First place in the 16 to adult age group were Melissa Parmley of Cedar Point and Tammy Pettijohn of Agra.

Wendell L. Gunter

Wendell L. Gunter, 73, of Woodbine died April 20, 2012, at his home with his family by his side. He was born Feb. 6, 1939, at the family farm near Woodbine to Milton W. and Margaret M. “Peggy” (Gugler) Gunter.

Francis Doc Hartke

Francis “Doc” Hartke, 88, of Herington died April 10, 2012, at his home. He was born March 1, 1924, near Lincolnville to Arthur H. “Pop” and Lydia A. (Pagenkopf) Hartke.

Deloris Ann James

Deloris Ann James, 63, died April 24, 2012, at Salem Home in Hillsboro. She moved to Hillsboro about one and one-half years ago from Goodland. She was a homemaker.

Bessie Lee Morris

Bessie Lee “Jackie” Morris, 95 died April 27, 2012, in Hugo, Okla. She was born July 21, 1916, in Soper, Okla., to Henry and Bessie (Smith) Bryan. She moved to Potwin in 1939 and lived there a few years before returning to Boswell, Okla. In 1944, she moved to Peabody, where she worked as a medication aid until retiring in 1981 and returning to Boswell.

Wilma Faye Peugh

Wilma Faye (Geer) Peugh, 85, of Peabody died April 30, 2012, at Newton Medical Center in Newton. She was born March 20, 1927, in Bethany, Mo., to Alva and Martha (Nichols) Geer. She worked in ticket sales for the Kansas City Royals baseball team.

Orlene Scrivner

Orlene Scrivner, 98, died April 26, 2012, at Peabody Care Center in Peabody. She was born June 18, 1913. She is survived by three daughters, Loretta Whipple, Harriett Woods, and Mary Beth Gaines; one brother, Leon Stout; five grandchildren; and l3 great grandchildren.

Bertha E. Wendlandt

Bertha E. Wendlandt, 91, of Herington died April 29, 2012, at the Medicalodges of Herington. She was born Jan. 12, 1921, in Lincolnville to Gottfried P. and Sadie Brunner. She owned and operated Bert’s Beauty Shop for many years. She was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church.

Accidents

Civil cases

County jail

Criminal cases

Deeds

Emergency dispatches

Traffic cases

Court closures postponed

District court closures that were scheduled for April 27 and May 11 have been rescheduled to give time for the Kansas Legislature to consider appropriating extra funds for the courts to finish the fiscal year. The Kansas Supreme Court announced the rescheduling April 23. With the postponement, courts are now scheduled to be closed May 24 and 25 and June 7 and 8. Because May 24 and 25 precede the Memorial Day weekend, there will be a stretch of five consecutive days courts will be closed.

Commission upset with road timeline

Marion County Commission received two revelations Monday from Kirkham Michael engineer Jon Riggins and APAC representative Dean McDaniel. Riggins informed the commission that the eight-mile 330th Road project was scheduled to begin in earnest May 21; that much they knew. He also told them that a worst-case scenario for the 30th, 60th, and 40th road projects was a starting date of Sept. 15.

State tax bill could increase local taxes

Marion County Commission signed a letter drafted to Kansas congressmen Bob Brookens, Jay Emler, and Jeff Longbine asking them to vote against a bill for a tax exemption. House Bill 2501 would allow businesses to claim fixed machinery as personal property, exempt for businesses, instead of claiming it as part of a property, which is how it is currently taxed, County Appraiser Cindy Magill said.

Local teen copes with diabetes

Not quite two years ago Autumn Strecker of Hillsboro, now 13, was tired, grumpy, and always hungry. “I just thought it was because she was working so hard at volleyball practice,” her mother Jeri Strecker said. “She had just started school as a sixth grader in junior high at Goessel and was going through a lot of changes.”

Physical therapy covers many ailments

At a “Lunch, Learn, and Live” presentation April 25 at St. Luke Hospital, physical therapist Sheryl Simmonds spoke to the crowd about things they can do to prevent falls, as well as the wide variety of areas physical therapy can offer help with. Simmonds said a study showed more than one-third of older adults suffer a fall each year — although she could never find how “older adult” was defined for the study. Falls are the leading cause of both fatal and non-fatal accidents and hospital visits for trauma among older adults, she added.

Cyclist beats time crunch

Kenny Lundgren of Marion found a solution to the time-crunch problem that often plagues exercise enthusiasts. Lundgren rides his road bike from Marion to work at Golden Heritage Foods LLC in Hillsboro. Just the round trips five days a week adds up to 100 miles of riding. Occasionally, Lundren will add a detour down to Aulne for an extended workout. Also enjoying rides in his free time, Lundgren said he will bike about 280 miles some weeks.

Therapists complete training

Carolan McFarland, Carol Wituk, and Heidi Hiebert, all certified massage therapists at St. Luke Integrated Health Care in Marion, recently completed two continuing education courses. These included orthopedic massage techniques for cervical pain, and pathologies of pain, taught by Dr. Rajinder Hullon.

Panzer finishes ultra marathon

Everyone deserves awards for an accomplishment. What were Kodi Panzer’s gifts to herself after completing the Cedro Peak Ultra Marathon April 7 in Tijeras, N.M.? She bought:

Artist keeps memories alive with paint

With Mother’s Day around the corner, many people look for ways to remember their mothers. Darlene Schroeder of rural Goessel found a way to memorialize her own mother by painting memories in watercolor. Last Thursday, she displayed about 30 original watercolors at Hendrickson Chiropractic Center as a featured artist in Newton’s Downtown Art and Music Festival. Much of her work focuses on nature — especially flowers, country scenes, small animals and children, but her favorite paintings are those she made of her mother’s life.

On the subject of names

There is an issue that crops up occasionally at the newspaper office that has always annoyed me a little bit. It isn’t a big problem, but it gets on my nerves like a fly buzzing around my head when it comes up: what to call the residential area surrounding Marion County Park and Lake. Calling those neighborhoods Marion County Park and Lake doesn’t feel right. The people don’t live in the park; they aren’t campers. Saying someone is from Marion County Lake bothers me, too. Unless there are mer-people I don’t know about, nobody actually lives in the lake.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:

LETTERS:

Child screening free at Hillsboro May 8

A free screening for children birth through 5 years old will be offered on Tuesday at the Hillsboro United Methodist Church, 905 E. D St. Appointments will be available from 12:30 to 3 p.m. At the screening, development will be checked in the learning, motor, language, and social areas. Vision and hearing also will be screened.

New scams operating in area

Marion County Department on Aging recently received information from two individuals who received phone calls about a medical card to use with Medicare, Department on Aging Director Gayla Ratzlaff announced in a press release last week. The callers wanted to verify the person’s address and phone number. The salesmen then asked about their banking account routing numbers. When both of these individuals refused to give this information, the salesmen hung up, Ratzlaff said.

Farmers market vouchers available

Marion County Department on Aging is offering vouchers to local farmers markets in the county beginning May 7. To qualify for the program, a person must be 60 or older and meet income guidelines. A single-person household can have a gross monthly income of $1,723 or less. The income threshold increases with household size: two people, $2,333; three, $2,944; four, $3,554; five, $4,165; and six, $4,775.

Cinderella's Closet accepting donations

Hillsboro’s Cinderella’s Closet is conducting a prom dress and accessory drive for the 2013 dress giveaway. The organization is accepting gently used prom and special-occasion dresses, as well as accessories. Accessories accepted include formal shoes — especially metallic or black — formal purses, and rhinestone jewelry.

Business consultant available May 16

A small business consultant from the Emporia State University Kansas Small Business Development Center will be in Marion from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 16 for one-on-one meetings at the Butler Community College, Marion campus, at 412 N. Second St. To discuss issues concerning an existing business or starting a new business, appointments may be made by contacting Butler Community College at (316) 218-6311.

Lion's Club donates trees for Arbor Day

Arbor Day was Friday and 95 Marion County fourth graders rolled up their sleeves and planted a tree. The students will become members of Fourth Grade Foresters. Fourth Graders from Centre, Hillsboro, and Marion elementary schools will each receive a Norwegian spruce tree to plant and care for where they choose. Centre fourth graders are choosing to plant trees in the new Tampa playground area. The two classes in Marion and Hillsboro have not decided on specific plans for the seedlings.

Florence artist displays art

Deborah Hanes-Nelson of Leonardville, formerly of Florence, is the latest guest artist at Gallery 101 in Marion. She was born and raised in Florence, and was part of the last graduating class of Florence High School. She has been a United Methodist Church pastor for 32 years and has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Washburn University in Topeka and a master’s degree in divinity from Saint Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, Mo.

Happy Hustlers 4-H Club sponsors sewing

The Happy Hustlers 4-H Sewing Project is sponsoring a countywide sew-a-thon from 9 a.m. to noon May 12 at Eastmoor UMC in Marion. Sewers, young and old, are welcome to bring scissors and machines and join in the sew-a-thon. Participants will be making little girls’ dresses and boys’ shorts for African children using a simple pattern provided by http://www.littledressesforafrica.org.

Democratic women meet

Marion County Democratic Women met for lunch Friday at Marion Senior Center. Colleen Hajek was welcomed as a new member. Janet Bryant conducted the meeting in the absence of the president and vice president.

Church women celebrate May Day

Marion Church Women United is sponsoring a Tea at Three event Friday at the Presbyterian church in celebration of May Friendship Day. All women of the community are invited to attend. The Friendship Day theme is “Listening to My Sisters,” and the tea party provides women with a chance to share their faith.

Reimer earns nursing degree

Caitlin Reimer of Hillsboro is one of 67 baccalaureate students of the Washburn University School of Nursing who will be honored during a recognition and pinning ceremony at 5:30 p.m. May 12 at White Concert Hall on the university’s Topeka campus. Commencement is at 3:30 p.m. the same day in Lee Arena, Petro Allied Health Center. Reimer is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing and Alpha Lambda Delta national honor society.

CORRESPONDENTS:

MEMORIES:

Personnel changes made at Centre schools

During a special work session April 25, the Centre Board of Education accepted the resignations of Lynley Remy as vocal and instrumental music instructor and Tyler Weinbrenner as physical education instructor and thanked them for their years of dedicated service to the district. After 30 minutes in executive session to discuss non-elected personnel, the board voted to reassign Kelly Steiner as the physical education instructor for the 2012-13 school year.

CHS student teaches gardening skills

Centre Elementary School fourth-graders were enthusiastic Friday as they poured out of the building on their first visit this spring to the school garden. They knelt beside the newly created raised beds and excitedly ran their fingers through the living soil in anticipation of adding plants and watching them grow.

Marion music students earn awards

Marion High School musicians who earned a 1A rating at the regional music festival participated in the state small group and solo festival April 28 at Southeast of Saline High School. The Marion Singers, Girls Ensemble, Boys Ensemble, Trumpet Trio, and vocal soloists Caroline Collett, Sarah Eurit, Jennifer Fruechting, Nick Meyer, Andrew Kjellin, and Isaac Baldwin received I ratings and medals.

Marion spring concert moved to May 10

The Marion High School Spring Band Concert has been moved from April 30 to May 10. May 10 is also the night of the MHS Vocal Pops Concert, Art Show, and Awards Night.

Marion FFA recognizes achievements at banquet

Student awards and community support were the main themes Thursday at the annual Marion-Florence FFA chapter Parent-Member-Employer Banquet in the Marion High School cafeteria. More than 140 people turned out for the event, which FFA chapter adviser Mark Meyer said was the largest in recent memory.

Marion County students hear firsthand dangers of drinking

When the lights came up in USD 408 Performing Arts Center on April 25 following the film “Joe White: My Story,” students applauded as the film’s namesake, 23-year-old Joe White, slowly walked to the stage using a cane. “If this presentation saves one life, one life, it has all been worth it,” White said.

Centre student gets creative with welding

Zach Calvert, a senior at Centre High School, likes art and enjoys welding. For his English senior project, he combined the two interests to create a metal sculpture. As a junior, Calvert took an Interactive Distance Learning art class from instructor Jim Versch of Marion High School. He was given an assignment to create a sculpture that would be at least 12 inches tall and would incorporate different shapes.

CHS seniors present class projects

On Thursday and Friday, the seniors of Centre High School gave presentations on their English class senior projects. Earlier in the year, students chose a subject that they were interested in, researched a question about the topic, and designed a related product. Some seniors learned about their future careers and others explored various topics of personal interest.

Cacey Simons leads CHS track team

Competing against Sterling, Halstead, Hesston, and Moundridge track athletes April 24, Centre High School’s Cacey Simons took first place in high jump, with a leap of 4 feet, 8 inches. It was the final Central Kansas Track League meet of the season.

Warriors win with strong pitching

Head coach Roger Schroeder said Monday that the Marion High School baseball team goes as lead-off hitter and right fielder Taylor Heidebrecht goes. He delivered at the plate against Ell-Saline. He went 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs; he drove in the run that put the Warriors up 10-0 in the first game. He went 2-for-3, scoring two runs in the second game, a 9-0 victory called in the bottom of the sixth due to lightening.

Marion track takes fourth at Beloit

The Marion High School boys’ and girls’ track teams endured threatening weather that forced delays Friday at the Beloit Relays to finish fourth in the 10-team upper division of the meet in Beloit. “We got a taste of what a day at the state track meet would be like,” Marion head coach Grant Thierolf said. “The meet was delayed by a timing system and then by the

Lady Warriors held scoreless

The Marion High School Lady Warriors softball team repeatedly got base-runners into scoring position but were unable to capitalize Monday against Ell-Saline. Ell-Saline won both games of the double header, 11-0. Down 11 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning in game one, Chelsea Voth appeared to lay down a bunt that got her safely to first base and Shayla Kline to third, but after conferring, the umpires ruled it a foul bunt. Continuing the at-bat, Voth made a successful sacrifice bunt to advance Kline to second base, but instead of runners on first and third with one out, the situation was a runner on second with two outs. Ell-Saline finished the shutout with a strikeout.

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