BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
A health advisory for blue-green algae at Marion Reservoir was lifted Thursday a week after a similar advisory was lifted at Marion County Park and Lake. Six other lakes and reservoirs in the state remain under blue-green algae advisories or warnings. The nearest is Old Herington City Lake in Dickinson County. The others are in Phillips, Barton, Trego, Jewell and Johnson counties.
Cindy Taylor wants all of her servers to smile as they greet customers. It is one of her rules at her Marion restaurant, Cindy’s Family Café. She also knows that approaching every day with a grin is an impossible proposition.
Cooperative Grain & Supply in Hillsboro received a facility record of 3.5 million bushels of wheat from local farmers this harvest, grain manager Dick Tippin said. The previous record was set in 1997. “That is 300,000 more bushels than our previous high,” he said.
The fledgling beef production industry in Russia is getting a boost from Harms Plainview Ranch of Lincolnville through its sale of approximately 70 head of registered Angus breeding stock to a Netherlands-based broker. “Russia is where they’ve told us they’re headed. They’re trying to create a beef industry of their own that is sustainable, and they’re kind of at ground zero,” ranch owner Mark Harms said.
A decision by Family Dollar to open a store in Marion has been put on hold at least until September as the corporation studies how this and other proposed new stores fit into their expansion plans. Brad Saville is president of Landmark Commercial Real Estate in Wichita, the firm that located the site for the Marion store and developed the business plan for construction and operation of the proposed Family Dollar store.
A kitchen fire started by an electrical appliance Thursday in Florence was followed by a woman being booked into the Marion County jail on charges of child endangerment and possession of paraphernalia. Lacey Bailey, 29, was present in the house at 210 W. 11th St. with her two minor children when a person in the neighborhood reported smoke coming from the house.
On a nine-day mission trip in Haiti, 10 members of Marion Presbyterian Church saw poverty unimaginable in the United States: thousands of people lived in tent cities and there was no running water or sewer systems even in permanent houses. But Jeannie Wildin can’t wait to go back.
A full day of events is being planned for this year’s Independence Day celebration in Ramona. A 10-kilometer race, the Redneck Run, will begin at 7:30 a.m. July 4. A 2-mile fun run will follow at 8 a.m.
When acquaintances ask Linda Church what she does, they are often surprised to learn that she really enjoys her work detailing cars at C & R Detailing in Marion. It isn’t surprising to her close friends, though. Church has always enjoyed getting cars looking their best. She grew up with two brothers and five uncles who enjoyed working with their cars, so detailing was something she got into at an early age.
For some people like Norman Schmidt of Goessel, life has a way of making dream cars take a back seat to marriage, kids, family, etc., but when it finally becomes possible to get that special one, ownership is all that much sweeter. “When I was a senior in high school we had to list our likes and dislikes for an assignment,” Schmidt said. “I put down my dream car was a ’65 Ford Falcon. That was something I always wanted to have.”
William E. “Bill” Friday, 81, died Saturday at Skaggs Hospital in Branson, Mo. He was born June 25, 1930, in Hillsboro to William and Anna (Klein) Friday. He married Iris Stine April 1, 1956. She preceded him in death. He later married Thelma Jean “T.J.” Spellman on June 28, 1997, and she survives.
Francis C. Payne, 78, died Friday in Peabody. He was born Sept. 3, 1933, on a farm near Clyde to Mose and Julia (Gram) Payne. He graduated from Clyde High School in 1951 and earned a bachelor’s degree at in 1960.
Clinton David Solomon, 83, died June 17, 2012, at home in Peabody. He was born June 18, 1928, son of John and Lydia Starkey Solomon. Clinton married Shirley Bloomer on July 29, 1963. She survives along with daughter Tammy (David) Neal, Inman, and son David (Angel) Solomon, Huntsville, Ala., five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
Jeanette A. Wiederstein, 84, formerly of Canton died June 13 at McPherson Hospital in McPherson. She was a retired restaurant operator. She was born Oct. 28, 1927, in Canton to Leslie and Grace Ethel (Schulz) Ripper.
Shirley A. Winter, 83, of Hillsboro died Saturday at Kansas Christian Home in Newton. She was born Dec. 16, 1928, in Vesta 6, Pa., to Waldo and Pearle (Dunn) Rathbone.
Florence Police Department’s portable radios are unable to communicate with county dispatchers in Marion, Florence Police Chief Michael Stone told Marion County Commission on Monday. One example where this problem was evident was a report that a man had brandished a firearm during a roadside argument outside of Florence. Stone asked for assistance from the station before arriving on the scene. It turned out the man had only showed his cell phone. By the time Stone arrived, the argument had been resolved, peacefully. However, without a working radio on his person, Stone could not call dispatch in time to call off the assistance. Sheriff Robert Craft arrived himself to provide backup.
It will cost about $300,000 for Marion to prove to the Federal Emergency Management Agency the levee that has protected the town against floods since 1977 belongs on the national Flood Insurance Rates Map, Marion City Council members learned Monday during a budget-planning meeting. “FEMA now considers our levee non-existent,” City Administrator Doug Kjellin said.
Marion County Commission agreed Monday to fund an announcer’s stage and concert at Marion County Fair in 2013. The county would provide half of the funding for both the stage and the concert, using funds from sales tax and transient guest bed tax.
The Tampa City Council decided June 11 on a new policy for rental of the senior center (or rather, to strictly enforce its original policy. Council members were concerned about people renting the hall and leaving it a mess. Some felt too many people had keys.
If life’s a beach, why does it have to be closed — or, at least, its enjoyment heavily discouraged — by toxic blue-green algae? Such thoughts ran through the head of this particular father, already spending his vacation working, as he celebrated Fathers’ Day by sweating, with the help of a kind former colleague and her husband, doing home cleanup and repair.
On my desk at the church sits a figure that struck a chord with me. It is the symbol of Haitian freedom. It is a man kneeling with his machete resting in his hand on the ground. His face is tuned up to the sky and he is blowing into a conch shell signaling the victory of the slaves over the French. If I look at him long enough I think I can hear the sound of freedom. Haiti is a country that was born from conflict and has remained in conflict for most of its history. Ten of us from Marion Presbyterian Church went down for nine days. In that time we built one two-room 12-foot by 24-foot house and painted 10 other houses of the same dimensions. These homes have no kitchens and no plumbing, but in the area of Port au Prince that we were building and painting, these were good homes. The people we encountered were wonderful. The adults and children were gracious to us and appreciative of the work that we did.
BALANCING ACT:
Wrong holiday, right feelings about harvest
The American Heart Association and Kansas State Stroke Task Force announced Monday that St. Luke Hospital and Living Center is one of 32 hospitals identified as emergent stroke ready – that is, able to adequately care for a stroke patient. Specifically, they identified St. Luke as being able to diagnose, treat, and transport acute stroke patients to a higher level of care if needed.
A free screening for children birth through 5 years old will be offered Tuesday at Marion Presbyterian Church. Appointments will be available from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This process usually takes at least one hour. To schedule an appointment call (620) 382-2858.
A flag retirement ceremony that was scheduled for Thursday at Marion County Park and Lake was postponed because of strong winds. It will be rescheduled, but a new date has not been set yet.
Marion Christian Church is accepting donations of items to be sold at its annual church auction, which funds food assistance for needy families. Items may be donated between 8 a.m. and noon, Monday through Friday, at the church, 140 N. Elm St. For large items that need to be picked up, call (620) 382-3122. The church will accept donations until July 6. Blood drive will be Monday The American Red Cross will have a blood drive Monday at Eastmoor United Methodist Church in Marion. The blood drive begins at 2:15 p.m. and continues to 6:45 p.m. All donors will receive a “Rock ‘n’ Roll Up Your Sleeve” t-shirt. Donors must have identification. Organizers remind encouraged to drink plenty of fluids before donating. To schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org or call (800) 733-2767. Democratic Women to meet Friday
Marion Christian Church is accepting donations of items to be sold at its annual church auction, which funds food assistance for needy families. Items may be donated between 8 a.m. and noon, Monday through Friday, at the church, 140 N. Elm St. For large items that need to be picked up, call (620) 382-3122. The church will accept donations until July 6. Blood drive will be Monday The American Red Cross will have a blood drive Monday at Eastmoor United Methodist Church in Marion. The blood drive begins at 2:15 p.m. and continues to 6:45 p.m. All donors will receive a “Rock ‘n’ Roll Up Your Sleeve” t-shirt. Donors must have identification. Organizers remind encouraged to drink plenty of fluids before donating. To schedule an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org or call (800) 733-2767. Democratic Women to meet Friday
Uncluttering downtown was one of the goals Marion PRIDE talked about Monday during a meeting about downtown beautification. One idea discussed was burying wires underground instead of stringing them from one light pole to another. Sally Hannaford said she had recently visited Iola and Parsons, and they were excellent examples.
The threat of late afternoon storms that never materialized Saturday sent the outdoor bluegrass concert at Marion County Park and Lake indoors, causing confusion as people arrived to find the waterfront stage and hillside deserted. “I thought it sounded like fun, music at the lake,” Lana Morris of Salina said. Morris’ family arrived early, but like many didn’t know the concert had been moved to the lake hall.
When Josh Boehm decided to enter law school in 2009, he knew he wanted to stay in the Midwest, but he wanted to study somewhere far enough away from his native Wisconsin that home wouldn’t be a distraction to his studies. He chose Washburn University in Topeka, and after finishing his law degree, he knew he wanted to stay in Kansas but didn’t want to be in Kansas City or Wichita. Boehm saw that Brookens Law Office in Marion and Hillsboro had an opening for an associate attorney, and he inquired about the opening. After meeting Bob Brookens and visiting the area, he decided it was a good match and accepted an offer to join the firm as an associate.
Mr. and Mrs. Brent Ragsdale, Logan, Jeremy, and Skylr visited Rex and Margaret Wilson over the weekend.
After having a couple of fun gigs in Marion, Knocknasheega Celtic Band will be in Florence on Saturday for Summer Solstice in the Flint Hills. The genesis of the event came when Judy Mills was speaking with Pam Bowers and Jeanice Thomas. They had the idea for a joint community event for Florence and Marion. Bowers and Thomas had good experiences with Knocknasheega through Marion’s Art and Music Stroll and a night of Celtic music and food, so they recommended booking the Celtic band.
BIRTHS:
Ayden Michael Brooks,
Anna Felicity CarlsonCORRESPONDENTS:
Marion Assisted Living,
Marion Senior Center,
TampaMEMORIES:
10,
25,
35,
50,
60,
100,
125 years ago
Centre USD 397 was the recipient of a National Promising Practice Award from the Character Education Partnership. The award is in response to Centre’s Character Buddy program to teach students social skills for future success. School representatives have been invited to the Character Education Partnership Forum in November in Washington, D.C. Previously, Centre’s Character Buddy program won the Kansas Schools of Character award. Superintendent Jerri Kemble, sixth-grade teacher Marci Cain, and character assembly coordinator Angela Basore attended the awards program in Topeka.
A team of Centre Elementary School students gave a presentation June 8 at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. The Strategies for Educational Improvement: Preparing for the Future conference was a collaboration of the Kansas State Department of Education and the KU School of Education. Centre’s iTeam, composed of third and fourth graders, gave their presentation as the “iPad Chefs,” based on the TV show “Iron Chef.” They demonstrated “app”itizers – easy-to-use applications for the classroom – “main dish” applications that students use with higher-order thinking skills and creativity, and “desserts,” the students’ favorite applications. The audience for their presentation had more than 400 educators in attendance, including the state commissioner of education, two state board of education members, representatives from legislators’ offices, university professors, teachers, and school administrators.
Butler Community College of Marion is looking for instructors for a series of non-credit class in the fall, called “Take 1 Just 4 Fun.” Butler of Marion director Amy Kjellin told Marion Chamber of Commerce members Friday that she wants the campus to include some fun classes. Anyone interested in teaching a non-credit class can reach Kjellin at (620) 382-2183 or e-mail akjellin@butlercc.edu.
Twenty students from Marion County are on Kansas State University’s spring honor roll. Students had to complete at least 12 hours of graded work with a 3.75 or better grade point average. They include: Florence: Jaclyn DeForest. Goessel: Bryant Miller, Chrystiana Miller, and Kendall Voth. Hillsboro: Alexander Jost and Lance Kliewer. Lehigh: Neal Kaiser and David Ratzloff. Lost Springs: Carlye Simons and Nicole Stenzel. Marion: Nellie Hill, Patrick Hodson, Drew Maddox, Tristen Snelling, Derek Stuchlik, Eric Vogel, and Julia Zeiner. Peabody: Seth Methvin and Joseph Zappone. Tampa: Matthew Klenda.
Toni Joelle Gordon of Marion received a bachelor of science degree in corporate recreation and wellness from Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, Mo., at the end of the university’s spring trimester. She is a 2006 graduate of Marion High School. Tod and Alice Gordon are her parents.
Aaron Craig of Florence received a master of science in school leadership in May from Baker University in Baldwin City.
Jasmine Cody of Marion graduated from Hutchinson Community College’s practical nursing program May 9 in Salina. She was one of 14 students to complete the problem. Graduates who pass a licensing examination can practice as licensed practical nurses.
Heidi Nicole (Zogelman) Ensley graduated May 12 from the University of Missouri-St. Louis with a doctor of optometry degree. Her parents, Nick and Sharon Zogelman of Florence attended the ceremony with her spouse, Richard Ensley. She plans to join a practice in Wichita and Arkansas City.
Among the 179 students on the Tabor College dean’s list for spring was sophomore Kaylyn Spencer of Florence, on the highest honor roll with a grade point average above 3.85.
The Marion Swim Team out-paddled Hesston and Herington in a triangular meet Saturday at USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center. Marion overwhelmed the competition with 712 points. Hesston scored 501 and Herington tallied 240.