Marion County RECORD

Former legislator lived life of public service

Donald Dahl of Hillsboro died from injuries he suffered in an ultra-light plane crash Friday south of Hillsboro. He represented the area in the Kansas House of Representatives for 12 years and before that had a career in aviation for the U.S. Navy. Vi Dalke’s late husband, Jerry, was a close friend of Dahl’s, growing up together in Hillsboro.

Holter touts city projects at chamber meeting

It has been two decades or more since Marion had as many projects going on as it does now, city administrator Roger Holter told the Chamber of Commerce on Friday. There are public works projects going on, like street repairs on Fourth and Williams streets and elsewhere and water line replacement, housing developments at September I apartments and Victory Plaza duplexes, several recently opened or soon to open businesses including CiboTech, Ace Hardware, and Subway, and the library addition.

Resignations lead to shifts in duties in treasurer's office

Due to resignations of Dianne Burnett and Sandra Svoboda within the county treasurer’s office, certain positions needed adjusting to accommodate a smaller staff. County commissioners met in closed session with Treasurer Jeannine Bateman for 25 minutes Monday, discussing how to divvy different responsibilities within the department.

Market's goal is to get people involved

Residents of Florence and the surrounding area have been busy little bees getting the community garden ready for the summer growing season, but that’s not the only thing they’re preparing for this year. Beginning in May a community market event will be held in downtown Florence on Tuesday evenings. Residents from Florence and surrounding areas can sell their produce, arts, and crafts in booths off Main St.

Fifth graders beat the market

How does a 54 percent annual rate of return on investment sound? That was the pace Marion fifth-graders in Shannon Cooper and Sarah Tolessa’s classes set during a 10-week stock-picking game in the fall. Starting with $100,000 imaginary dollars, students selected stocks based on what they expected would do well around Halloween and during the Christmas shopping season. Among the stocks they chose were Amazon.com, Apple, Cato (a women’s fashion company), Mattel, Samsung, and Walmart.

Garage sale deadline is Friday

The deadline to turn in entries for the Marion and Peabody communitywide garage sale is 5 p.m. Friday at the Marion County Record and Peabody city offices. If there are sufficient entries, maps will be printed in next week’s newspapers and the sales will be advertised in other newspapers as far away as Wichita.

Kiwanians discuss upcoming projects

Marion Kiwanis Club went through committee reports Tuesday, giving updates on recent and upcoming projects with 18 members and 1 guest present. Kiwanis will be well represented at the high school honor banquet Monday, and the club is preparing for the athletic banquet in May. Kiwanis will have coffee and refreshments available after the Memorial Day service.

Home school graduation is May 12

Marion County Home Educators will have their home school graduation and eighth grade promotion at 7 p.m. on May 12 at Strassburg Baptist Church. There will be a pie and ice cream reception after the ceremony.

Elgin Bartel

Elgin Bartel, 93, of Hillsboro died April 16 at Salem Home. He was born Oct. 8, 1920, to Henry J. and Eva (Bartel) Bartel in Hillsboro. He married Evelyn Wedel in 1952. She preceded him in death in 1975. He then married Rubena Leppke in 1979. She preceded him in death in 2013.

Everett Cress

Everett H. Cress, 73, died April 15 at Golden Living Center in Cottonwood Falls. He was born Aug. 28, 1940, in Florence to Jimmie B. and Zatha (Henricks) Cress. On July 9, 1961, he married Janet K. Whitcomb.

Donald Dahl

Donald L. Dahl, 69, died Friday in Hillsboro. He was born March 19, 1945, to Abe and Irma (Franz) Dahl in Hillsboro. He was an officer in the U.S. Navy. He is survived by a brother, Calvin Dahl of Maple Grove, Minn.; and six sisters, Frances Unruh of Reedley, Calif., Lillian Falls of Kingsburg, Calif., Dorothy Dahl of Hillsboro, Sharon Schroeder of Hillsboro, Beverly Boese of Longmont, Colo., and Barbara Braun of Mooresville, N.C.

Kenny Janzen

Kenny Janzen, 47, of Hillsboro died Sunday at Via Christi-St. Francis in Wichita. He was born Sept. 11, 1966, to Ralph W. and Charlene (Stinchcomb) Janzen of Hillsboro. He is surived by his wife, Katrina Janzen of rural Hillsboro; a son, Joshua Schmeal of Topeka; four daughters, Katlynn Schmeal of Halstead, Jessica Janzen of Wichita, Tanesha Borquez of rural Hillsboro, and Tamera Beach of Clearwater; two brothers, Corey Janzen of Hillsboro and Ray Janzen of Hillsboro; and his parents of Hillsboro.

Rebecca Miller

Rebecca Jean (Stuchlik) Miller, 66, died Friday in Cave Creek, Ariz. She is survived by her husband of 40 years, Len Miller; two daughters, Andrea Gregory and Katherine Rutka; one son, John Miller; two sisters, Ramona Beisel and Rudy Scharping; nine brothers, Monty, Terry, Mark, Kenny, Bill, Tom, Randy, Larry, and John Stuchlik; and five grandchildren.

John Ratzlaff

John Ratzlaff, 92, died April 16 in Hillsboro. He was born Sept. 18, 1921, to Aaron and Anna (Penner) Ratzlaff in Corn, Okla. He is survived by four sons, Don of Hillsboro, Glenn of Hillsboro, John of San Rafael, Calif., and Jim of Hutchinson; a brother, Barney of Tulsa, Okla.; three sisters, LeOra Grunau of Hillsboro, Bertha Pauls of Reedley, Calif., and Arlene Flaming of Enid, Okla.; 13 grandchildren; and 38 great-grandchildren.

Duane Sheridan

A memorial service for Duane Sheridan will be at 11 a.m. Friday at Baker Funeral Home in Peabody. He died Dec. 24 at the age of 83.

IN MEMORIAM:

Accidents reported

Civil division cases

County Jail arrests and bookings

Deeds recorded

Emergency dispatches

Offenses reported

Police incident reports

Traffic division cases

Florence community gathers to prepare garden

Weeds of old were removed last week by residents who were preparing areas and setting up cattle panels to plant tomatoes, okra, basil, and corn at the Florence Community Garden. Basil, okra, and tomatoes will be planted in the same patch because they complement each other and keep bugs away, Phoebe Janzen said. She and garden co-founder Janice Waner were fixing up the tomato garden in a new way to avoid it turning into a jungle like last year.

Bed and breakfast receiving some love

Ranch hands used to occupy the Doyle Creek bunkhouse in Florence, now turned into a bed and breakfast. “The last hired man, when he left Clint didn’t replace him,” said Sarah Cope, who lives in the home near the bunkhouse with her husband, Clint. “We still needed to do something to utilize the house, so that’s how the bed and breakfast idea came about.”

What is old is new again

When Katherine DeFilippis bought a house in the 200 block of E. Case St. in Lehigh, it was badly in need of restoration. She gutted it and had it rewired, along with a lot of other work. When it came time to refill the house with flooring, walls, and furnishings, she continued the restoration theme with items converted from their original purpose.

Summer jobs are entrepreneurship practice

Last week we ran a promotion offering all students in the county an opportunity to place a free classified ad seeking a job for the summer in the May 14 newspaper. We think this has the possibility of benefiting teens and their communities. Entrepreneurship is the engine that drives economic growth in our communities, and a summer job mowing lawns or baby-sitting is a great way for teens to get experience running their own business, building their work ethic, and setting goals.

School board goals posted on web site

Marion USD 408 Board of Education has the following goals posted on its web site, http://www.usd408.com. “The Board of Education of USD 408 will provide the facilities, staff, curriculum, and supplies necessary for all students to be highly successful. To that end, the Board expects all grade levels tested to reach the standard of excellence.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

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Ecumenical event draws women to Burdick

At least 60 women attended Guest Night last week at Burdick United Methodist Church. The church women sponsored the event. A light meal prepared by the women was served free of charge in the fellowship hall. It was followed by a program in the sanctuary.

Fikes celebrate Easter

Warren and Paula Fike of Ramona had Easter dinner for their family Sunday at Trinity Lutheran Parish Hall. Following dinner an egg hunt was held at the Fike family farm.

Collett grandson to be wed

Zach Collett, grandson of Howard and Beth Collett of Marion, will wed Keri Rausch on June 7 at St. John Catholic Church in Herington. The bride elect is from Jefferson City, Mo., and is the daughter of Dean and Tammy Rausch of Independence. She is a 2006 graduate of St. John Senior High School and Kansas State University. She is a certified nutritionist and personal trainer.

Volunteers to be celebrated at lunch

In honor of national volunteer month, St. Luke Auxiliary will have a luncheon at noon Thursday in the clinic basement. Twenty-four members attended the April 3 meeting of the Auxiliary. Hostesses were Dorothy Youk, Rosemary Garrard, Henrietta Waner, Beth Collett, Elora Robinson, and Barb Hardin.

Friendship Day will be May 2

All women in the community are invited to attend May Friendship Day at 3 p.m. on May 2 at Valley United Methodist Church. The theme is “Through God Our Hands Can Serve.” Church Women United will sponsor the event, during which tea will be served.

Variety show fundraiser will be Saturday

An assortment of musicians will band together, take the stage and, jam out to raise funds for the McPherson Opera House at 7 p.m. Saturday in McPherson. “We do this fundraiser every year because it is so popular and entertaining,” opera house executive director John Holeck said. “The lineup varies from year to year so the show always stays fresh.”

Eagle wins excellence award

Eagle Communications Inc. received an award for communication excellence by Employee Stock Ownership Plan Association for their work in printed materials. The award recognizes Eagle’s use or original printed informational materials used to promote the company.

Democratic Women to meet Friday

Marion County Democratic Women will meet at noon Friday at Marion Senior Center. Those attending are encouraged to bring peanut butter to donate to the food bank.

MARION SENIOR CENTER:

MEMORIES:

Round up familiarizes future students with kindergarten

Next year’s crop of kindergartners got a taste of what school will be like during kindergarten round up Thursday at Marion Elementary School. “We had 42 kids at round up this year,” teacher Lana Stevenson said. “Basically the day is just a mini kindergarten day. We have calendar time, read a story, make a little turtle, have recess and a snack, go ‘fishing’, learn, and sing a song. ”

Musicians rated highly at state festival

The Marion High School band and choir each received a “I” rating — the highest rating available — at the state large group music festival April 16 in Lindsborg. “[Band director] Chris Barlow and I are very excited that the students performed so well and were recognized in this way,” choir director Tim Cassidy said.

Centre FBLA fundraiser to feature Mexican meal

In conjunction with Senior Project Night Thursday and Friday at Centre High School, the Future Business Leaders of America chapter will serve a Mexican meal with dessert and drink for $5. Centre Perk coffee shop will also be open for smoothies and snacks. Proceeds will be used to help fund the FBLA trip to the national conference this summer in Nashville, Tenn.

FFA members win district awards

Marion/Florence FFA members were recognized at the South Central District FFA banquet Monday at Buhler High School. Several members won awards. Nicholas Meyer and Clint Kroupa received the district star farmer award in production and in placement, the highest honors in the district.

Centre FFA competes in career events

Centre FFA members competed in South Central District career development events Thursday at Hutchinson Community College’s Aggie Day. James Spohn, Rebecca Reneau, and Katie Marler took first, second, and third places, respectively, in the greenhand division of the nursery/landscape event, with the team placing first. The “A” team of Kailyn Riffel and Brenna Shields placed fifth.

Bowling league helps youngsters learn game

To build a foundation of bowling within the community, Hillsboro Recreation Commission has collaborated with Bluejay Lanes to begin a Saturday youth bowling league at the alley from April 5 to May 5. Recreation director Doug Sisk said 17 children signed up for the league, designed for individual development. Participants range from fourth to eighth grade.

Softball team sweeps Sedgwick

The Marion softball team defeated Sedgwick in both games of a doubleheader Tuesday on the road. The Warriors won the first game by the 10-run rule, 13-3 in the fifth inning. The second game was much closer, but the Warriors pulled out the 12-11 victory.

Throwers stay strong at Smoky Valley

The Marion High School track and field boys took second place and the girls took third place out of 11 teams Thursday at the Smoky Valley Invitational. The boys continued a strong showing in the throwing events, with every Marion entry placing. John Nordquist won the javelin with a personal best throw of 164-10. Kyle Palic placed second, just three inches behind Nordquist.

Warriors split with 2nd-ranked Sedgwick

The Marion Warriors and Sedgwick Cardinals split a doubleheader Tuesday in a possible preview of the regional baseball championship. The Warriors were ranked fifth entering the doubleheader by the Kansas Association of Baseball Coaches, and the Cardinals were ranked second. Both teams are in the regional scheduled for May 19 and 20 in Marion.

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