Marion County RECORD

HEADLINES

Family helps 'seized' restaurant reopen
Cindy’s Family Café in Marion was closed for a couple of days with bold signs in the windows saying it had been “seized” by the state for failure to pay taxes. The restaurant reopened June 11 after owner Cindy Taylor’s family and friends helped pay overdue sales tax.
Reservoir under algae warning
Visitors of the Marion Reservoir will find swimming beaches closed and signs forbidding contact with water because of the presence of toxic blue-green algae. The warning, released Thursday by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, prohibits any contact with the water for humans, pets, and livestock.
Tax seizures termed a last resort
Bright yellow signs with “seized” emblazoned across them in inch-high capital letters are a last resort, not a scarlet letter to shame delinquent taxpayers, the state’s civil tax enforcement manager says. “It takes quite a bit before we have to resort to seizing a business,” enforcement manager Michael Fitzgerald said Monday. “Multiple letters, phone calls, agents talking to folks — we’re going to do everything we can, ANYTHING we can, to avoid a seizure.
Butler to take 4 rooms in Hill School
As the city ponders what to do with the Bown-Corby building that Butler Community College is leaving, the board of education agreed in principle Monday to lease the community college four rooms in the Hill School. Final details have to be negotiated, but Superintendent Lee Leiker estimated the school district would charge Butler between $5,000 and $6,000 to cover the district’s added expenses.
Harvest in Marion County better than expected?
A handful of farmers across the county got out into muddy fields Tuesday to begin test-cutting wheat. “It’s been better than we were expecting,” Jess Whiteman said. “We’ve only cut 50 acres before we got rained out Saturday.”
Snapping turtle goes on grocery run
Conner Montgomery was closing Carlsons’ Grocery Store when a co-worker, who was locking the doors, noticed a strange visitor attempting to make its way in. A snapping turtle nearly a foot in length was in front of the store’s ice machines, moving toward the entrance.
MEDI gets 1st look at restroom project
Marion Economic Development Inc. got its first look Tuesday at a three-dimensional model of a proposed restroom and stage to replace an aging gazebo in Central Park. The facility would include a performance stage. If fundraising goes to plan, the facility could be ready for Chingawassa Days by next year.
Store cat gets his own highway
For nearly four years, Shaw the cat has been a fixture at County Seat Decorating Center earning him plenty rewards from his admirers. “The FedEx man brings him treats every day,” owner Jeannie Wildin said. “In fact he was trying some new ones this week with meaty centers and said, ‘Oh, I think he likes these better. I’m going to stick with these.’”

OTHER HEADLINES

Bluegrass festival aims for low-key fun
Marion County Lake’s seventh annual Bluegrass at the Lake festival Saturday will once again be a relaxed entertainment event, lake superintendent Steve Hudson said. “We’re not trying to be another Winfield,” Hudson said, alluding to the Walnut Valley Festival in September.
Garden tour tickets available
Tickets and maps for the annual Marion City Library Garden Tour are available at the library. The tour will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 28.
Sealing unusual cracking causes delays on U.S. 77
Residents traveling along U.S. 77 can expect small delays weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. over the next few weeks as they travel between Burns and Marion. Crews are working to seal cracks that have formed on the asphalt roadway. Repairs are causing delays ranging from 5 to 10 minutes or more.
Budget cuts cause concern
State budget cuts and red tape for mental health care providers “are setting these people up to fail,” Commissioner Dan Holub said Monday. Jessie Kaye, president of Prairie View, told commissioners that four mental health centers in the state have been forced to close in the past nine years.
Accident in Marion sends 2 to St. Luke
An injury accident at Denver and N. Cedar Sts. sent two county residents to the hospital with serious injuries at 3:45 p.m. Sunday. Police said Josephine Bartel of Hillsboro ran a stop sign in a Chevrolet Cavalier while driving east on Denver St. Her vehicle was hit by a Chevrolet Cruze driven by Whitney Christensen of Marion, who was traveling north on Cedar St.
Teens attempt to steal boat
Two teens driving a silver sport-utility vehicle attempted to steal a boat Monday afternoon near the 1800 block of 70th Rd. Grant Phares, who works at Wildcat Creek Ranch, saw and reported the thief at 1:52 p.m.

DEATHS

Billy Burke
Services for Billy Franklin Burke, 78, of Park City, who died Sunday, will be at 2 p.m. Friday, at Peabody Christian Church. Burial will follow at Prairie Lawn Cemetery. Born June 27, 1935, in Albertville, Ala., to Oliver and Margie (Gorham) Burke, he married Avis Louisa Graham on in 1957 at First United Methodist Church of Newton. She died in 1995, and he married Sandra Knoll-Burke in 2001 in Park City.
Maynard Janzen
Maynard D. Janzen, 79, died June 7. He was born Feb. 21, 1935, to Otto R. and Irma L. (Klassen) Janzen at his grandparents’ home in Hillsboro. He grew up east of Goessel and attended a one-room school before graduating from Goessel High School. He was heavily involved in music.
Treva Kellogg
Treva C. Kellogg, 93, of Herington died June 10 at Peabody Care Center. She was born Feb. 18, 1921, in White City to William W. and Rosa (Blum) Adam. She was a homemaker and a member of the Church of God in Herington and attended Herington Senior Citizens Center while her health permitted.
Otto Regier
Peabody-area farmer and stockman Otto S. Regier, 88, died Saturday at his home in Elbing. Born July 21, 1925, near Elbing, he was preceded in death by his parents, Cornelius and Margaret (Epp) Regier, and siblings Mildred, Menno and Howard Regier.
IN MEMORIAM:
Faith Skibbe, Donald Alcorn

DOCKET

OPINION

The more things change...
No more obstacle course along Elm Street on Sunday mornings. No more faded paint atop the St. Luke thrift shop. No more tumbleweeds instead of customers’ cars in the hardware store parking lot. No more ruts in the Pilsen road. It’s enough to make you think we’re not in Kansas (or, at least, in Marion) anymore.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
Tried anything new lately?

PEOPLE

Hett to celebrate 90th birthday
The family of Mary M. Hett will honor her 90th birthday with a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Eastmoor United Methodist Church in Marion. In lieu of gifts, cards may be sent to 115 Eisenhower, Marion, KS 66861.
Bulldog alumni to meet
Chase County High School’s 2014 alumni weekend will be June 27-29 in Cottonwood Falls. The theme will be “Bulldog Pride,” and those attending are being asked to wear black and red to events.
Blood drive set
Centre FFA will co-sponsor a blood drive from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday at Lincolnville Community Building. Appointments are being accepted at (800) 733-2767, but walk-ins are welcome, too.
Leadership class concludes
Members Dainne Cyr, Ashley Herpich, Roger Schroeder, and Karen Williams finished the Leadership Marion County class June 5 with a graduation banquet at Morningstar Ranch. Guest speaker Ron Wilson of Manhattan performed cowboy poetry. During their final class May 15, members met at the Florence city building to learn of Mennonite history from Peggy Goertzen.
MARION SENIOR CENTER:
Pianist brightens a rainy morning
MEMORIES:
10, 25, 35, 50, 60, 100, 125 years ago

SCHOOL AND SPORTS

Swimmer continues unbeaten streak
The Marion swim team started its season with a home loss Saturday. The team doesn’t have as many swimmers as it had a few years ago, but the 43 on the team are dedicated, coach Heather Calhoun said at practice.
Athlete ready for next step
Danae Bina says she is a terrible loser, which may partly explain why she did not lose much during her high school athletic career. Everything she did growing up was a competition, as she was the youngest of nine children.
Girl Scouts run
Centre Cadette Girl Scouts ran in Lincolnville’s “So Fetch and So Fit” five-kilometer race May 31. Aids at stations along the route threw colored powder onto runners as they passed by. Colin Williams and Jennifer Espinoza won the male and female divisions The youngest to compete was Olivia Carlson of rural Lincolnville.
19 on K-State dean's list
Nineteen students from Marion County were among 3,400 to receive semester honors this spring from Kansas State University for achieving a grade-point average of 3.75 or better on 12 or more graded hours of work: Florence: Jaclyn Deforest. Hillsboro: Ethan Frantz, Bailey Kaufman, Aaron Klassen, Taylor Nikkel, and Chance Reece. Lehigh: Neal Kaiser. Lincolnville: Carrie Carlson, Taylor Harms, Carlye Simons. Marion: Jacob Ehrlich, Samuel Ehrlich, Louis Holt, Andrew Kelsey, Drew Maddox, Tristen Snelling, and Derek Stuchlik. Peabody: Broderick Kyle. Tampa: Nathan Unruh.
2 graduate from Wesleyan
Kayley Heerey of Marion and Alysha Pierce of Hillsboro were among 188 graduates honored at last month’s commencement at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina. Heerey, a fall graduate, received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminal justice with cum laude honors.
3 earn nursing degrees
Wendy McCarty of Hillsboro and JoLynn Resser and Sara Whorton of Tampa were among 36 students who received registered nurse’s certification pins and associate degrees in nursing last month from Hutchinson Community College.

SENIOR LIVING

Elder care has changed dramatically
Since registered nurses Dawn Luna and Peni Ens started working in elder care as nurse aides — in 1979 and 1986, respectively — they have seen tremendous changes in long term care for the elderly. Ens said that when she began working, nursing homes were much more institutional; a nursing home dictated how residents would live rather than the other way around. She said nursing homes now really try to make things more homelike.
Discounts vary across county
Getting older may mean getting more bargains. Many county businesses offer a discount when customers reach a certain age. Each business has its own bargain, and the age at which customers can collect varies. Carlsons’ Grocery, Dale’s Supermarket, and Heartland Foods offer a 10 percent discount to people age 65 and older every Wednesday on store items not on sale.
Senior housing may bring glut of homes for sale
The availability of affordable housing is encouraging some seniors to consider putting their houses on the market. This in turn may cause more housing to become available for families. “We do have a lot of homes for sale,” real estate agent Lori Heerey said Tuesday. “But I can’t directly attribute the abundance to the housing projects going on in town, at least not yet.”
Senior centers need volunteers
Senior centers around the county are always looking for volunteers to help deliver and serve meals, but some are hurting for volunteers more than others. “We have several people in the summer who take vacations,” Hillsboro director Brenda Moss said. “We like to have backups that can help give volunteers time off.”
Weaker eyesight is common in seniors
When you walk into Marion Senior Center, like other senior centers around the country, it is common for nearly every patron to have a set of glasses. “I’ve had glasses for about 75 years,” one patron said. “I have astigmatism, and my parents wore glasses. Just something I have to live with.”

Marion County RECORD

Cindy’s Family Café in Marion was closed for a couple of days with bold signs in the windows saying it had been “seized” by the state for failure to pay taxes. The restaurant reopened June 11 after owner Cindy Taylor’s family and friends helped pay overdue sales tax.

A handful of farmers across the county got out into muddy fields Tuesday to begin test-cutting wheat. “It’s been better than we were expecting,” Jess Whiteman said. “We’ve only cut 50 acres before we got rained out Saturday.”

Conner Montgomery was closing Carlsons’ Grocery Store when a co-worker, who was locking the doors, noticed a strange visitor attempting to make its way in. A snapping turtle nearly a foot in length was in front of the store’s ice machines, moving toward the entrance.

Marion County Lake’s seventh annual Bluegrass at the Lake festival Saturday will once again be a relaxed entertainment event, lake superintendent Steve Hudson said. “We’re not trying to be another Winfield,” Hudson said, alluding to the Walnut Valley Festival in September.

Tickets and maps for the annual Marion City Library Garden Tour are available at the library. The tour will be from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. June 28.

Residents traveling along U.S. 77 can expect small delays weekdays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. over the next few weeks as they travel between Burns and Marion. Crews are working to seal cracks that have formed on the asphalt roadway. Repairs are causing delays ranging from 5 to 10 minutes or more.

State budget cuts and red tape for mental health care providers “are setting these people up to fail,” Commissioner Dan Holub said Monday. Jessie Kaye, president of Prairie View, told commissioners that four mental health centers in the state have been forced to close in the past nine years.

Two teens driving a silver sport-utility vehicle attempted to steal a boat Monday afternoon near the 1800 block of 70th Rd. Grant Phares, who works at Wildcat Creek Ranch, saw and reported the thief at 1:52 p.m.

Maynard D. Janzen, 79, died June 7. He was born Feb. 21, 1935, to Otto R. and Irma L. (Klassen) Janzen at his grandparents’ home in Hillsboro. He grew up east of Goessel and attended a one-room school before graduating from Goessel High School. He was heavily involved in music.

Treva C. Kellogg, 93, of Herington died June 10 at Peabody Care Center. She was born Feb. 18, 1921, in White City to William W. and Rosa (Blum) Adam. She was a homemaker and a member of the Church of God in Herington and attended Herington Senior Citizens Center while her health permitted.

Peabody-area farmer and stockman Otto S. Regier, 88, died Saturday at his home in Elbing. Born July 21, 1925, near Elbing, he was preceded in death by his parents, Cornelius and Margaret (Epp) Regier, and siblings Mildred, Menno and Howard Regier.

IN MEMORIAM:

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

The family of Mary M. Hett will honor her 90th birthday with a reception from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday at Eastmoor United Methodist Church in Marion. In lieu of gifts, cards may be sent to 115 Eisenhower, Marion, KS 66861.

Chase County High School’s 2014 alumni weekend will be June 27-29 in Cottonwood Falls. The theme will be “Bulldog Pride,” and those attending are being asked to wear black and red to events.

Centre FFA will co-sponsor a blood drive from 2 to 6 p.m. Friday at Lincolnville Community Building. Appointments are being accepted at (800) 733-2767, but walk-ins are welcome, too.

MARION SENIOR CENTER:

MEMORIES:

The Marion swim team started its season with a home loss Saturday. The team doesn’t have as many swimmers as it had a few years ago, but the 43 on the team are dedicated, coach Heather Calhoun said at practice.

Danae Bina says she is a terrible loser, which may partly explain why she did not lose much during her high school athletic career. Everything she did growing up was a competition, as she was the youngest of nine children.

Kayley Heerey of Marion and Alysha Pierce of Hillsboro were among 188 graduates honored at last month’s commencement at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina. Heerey, a fall graduate, received a bachelor’s degree in sociology and criminal justice with cum laude honors.

Wendy McCarty of Hillsboro and JoLynn Resser and Sara Whorton of Tampa were among 36 students who received registered nurse’s certification pins and associate degrees in nursing last month from Hutchinson Community College.