Marion County RECORD

Flag salute or prayer? Commissioners want to add invocation, require attendees to stand

After commissioners asked for rules for meeting attendees, a removal of one of those rules caught the criticism of commissioner Dianne Novak: a requirement to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Novak raised the issue at the end of Monday’s meeting, after language first appeared on initial copies of Oct. 31 meeting agendas. The line was removed in revised copies of that meeting’s agenda, and it was not on Monday’s agenda.

Teacher-student embrace causes controversy

Concerns leading to a school district investigation of a photo posted to social media showing a male Goessel teacher/coach and a female student embracing may have led Monday to the resignation of Patrick Loganbill. District officials did not specifically link the resignation to the photo, which Superintendent John Fast said appeared “recently” on social media. He declined to describe the photo, how it was brought to the district’s attention, or identify the teacher/coach in it.

Wind farm permits approved

County commissioners approved conditional use permits Monday for Diamond Vista, a wind energy project proposed in northern Marion County, after a large crowd forced the meeting to move to a larger room. With people spilling out of commission chambers in the courthouse lobby, the meeting temporarily moved to the courtroom to accommodate the public.

Commissioner complains public can't hear some speakers at county meetings

Some county residents are disenfranchised by soft speakers at meetings, according to one commissioner. “I was talking to a somebody who enjoys coming to the meetings, but has said to me he won’t be coming anymore because he can’t hear anything, the way the backs are turned,” commissioner Dianne Novak said when she raised the concern during Monday’s commission meeting.

Asphalt coming today to 330th Rd.

Today marks a black day for 330th Rd. — a blacktop day. Darin Neufeld of EBH Engineering said asphalt laying was scheduled to start this morning at the McPherson County line with concrete base mixing finishing at the other end of the 8-mile stretch.

Diversion agreement an option in court

Driving under the influence charges, traffic infractions, and some criminal charges can be resolved in county court with an agreement known as a “diversion.” “Diversion is kind of a second chance for people who haven’t had prior convictions,” County Attorney Courtney Boehm said.

From local churches to needy children, with love

More than a dozen local churches are packing gift boxes for distribution worldwide to children who are victims of war, poverty, disasters, disease, and famine. Churches have until Monday to get their gifts, packed in shoeboxes, to Parkview Mennonite Brethren Church in Hillsboro for shipping, according to the church’s Sherry Edwards.

St. Luke Hospital retains trauma center designation

The trauma center at St. Luke Hospital has again received designation as a Level IV Trauma Center by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Level IV centers are hospitals whose primary role in trauma care is to stabilize seriously injured patients and, if necessary, transfer them to a higher level trauma center.

Write-ins win 21 positions

Write-in votes tabulated this week resulted in awarding of 21 contests for which no names appeared on county ballots last week. All winners will take office Jan. 8.

State shuts down deceptive charity

A charity claiming to raise funds to support veterans has been shut down following an investigation by Kansas and other states into its solicitation practices. Since March 2015, VietNow, also identifying itself as VeteransNow, using telemarketing, told potential donors that it gave a minimum of 12 percent after expenses back to veterans in the donor’s state. Investigations revealed that VietNow had not funded any programs related to veterans, but that most of the nearly $2 million raised nationwide was paid to fundraisers, with less than 5 percent going to charitable programs.

Dolores Mann

Former Cedar Point resident Dolores N. (Maxwell) Mann, 84, died Monday at Chase County Care and Rehabilitation Center, Cottonwood Falls. Visitation will be 6 until 7:30 tonight at Brown-Bennett-Alexander Funeral Home, Cottonwood Falls.

Helen Schmidt

Services for former teacher Helen Schmidt, 93, who died Sunday at Hillsboro Community Hospital, will be 2 p.m. Thursday at Parkview Mennonite Brethren Church, Hillsboro. Visitation will be 6 to 8 tonight at Jost Funeral Home, Hillsboro. Born March 7, 1924, to John and Anna (Siebert) Thiessen at Inman, she married Eldon Schmidt on June 3, 1947, at Inman.

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

Accidents reported

Civil division cases

Criminal division cases

County jail bookings

Deeds recorded

Emergency dispatches

Marriage licenses granted

Offenses reported

Municipal court cases

Police incident reports

Traffic division cases

Home care bridges gap

For Kathy Arnold, visits from Marion County Home Care make the difference between holding her own against a worsening condition and being pulled downward. “They’re very good, that’s all I can say,” Arnold said. “They know what they are doing.”

Cooking healthy for the holidays

When thinking of the holiday season, what comes to your mind first? Could it be the fellowship with family and friends? Or does your mind drift toward the special food shared and enjoyed? The holiday season brings many special celebrations with fun, family, and food galore. Many families have traditions centered on fabulous foods and drinks they get to enjoy only a few times a year.

Cooking fires pose holiday threat

While Thanksgiving is a time for family and friends, it’s also a leading day for cooking fires. Nearly four times as many home cooking fires happen on Thanksgiving as on other days of the year, the National Fire Protection Association says, and the day before Thanksgiving is the second-leading day.

Specialist to discuss foot health

Foot-care specialist Deb Trevett will teach how to improve overall foot health at 9:45 a.m. Friday at Parkview Mennonite Brethren Church activity center, 610 S. Main St., Hillsboro. Trevett, a registered nurse and president of Toe Truck Inc., will discuss basic foot care, shoes, and circulation issues.

Forgotten memories: A coloring contest 50 years ago

An 11-year-old Tommy Britain found his way into the Marion County Record Memories page last week, but an adult Britain has a hard time remembering what got his name in the newspaper. Britain won a coloring contest sponsored by the Pillsbury Company 50 years ago, winning a Space Station, Space Crawler Action set.

20th Century Club learns about essential oils

20th Century Club met Nov. 6 at the Wagon Wheel Café in Marion. Feebie Meisinger and Elora Robinson were hostesses. Chiropractor Heather Fey presented a program entitled, “Essential Oils and Women’s Health.” She distributed handouts and passed around samples of oils as she mentioned health advantages of each oil.

Neo Century Club meets

Sheryl Simmonds reported on her 16-day trip to Oman and Egypt at the Neo Century Club meeting Nov. 6. Hostesses Elaine Morse and Lenore Dieter served a pumpkin dessert from a table decorated in an autumn theme.

St. Luke Auxiliary meets

Twenty members attended the Nov. 2 meeting of St. Luke Hospital Auxiliary. Elizabeth Guhman, vice president of clinical services at Prairie View, talked about psychiatric services and medications.

Marion County Democrats meet

Marion County Democrats met Saturday in the Santa Fe Room at Marion City Library. County chairman Eileen Sieger reported working on the election board at Eastmoor United Methodist church. Janet Bryant worked on the resolution board at the courthouse.

SENIOR CENTER:

BIRTHS:

4-H CLUB NOTES:

MEMORIES:

The next question: child sexual abuse

Former Eastmoor United Methodist Church pastor Bob Priest evidently touched a few nerves with his letter to the editor two weeks ago. Priest cited the example of Jesus accepting people deemed unacceptable by religious authorities of the day as a call for Christians to be nonjudgmental toward people with non-heterosexual orientations. He offered an interpretation of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, one embraced by many Biblical scholars, that it was not a story about the evils of homosexuality, but rather was about inhospitality.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

LETTERS:

Breaking a bone, but the show must go on

A broken hip hasn’t kept play director Janet Killough from polishing up the acting of Marion students, but it did throw her what she called a monkey wrench. “It goes on no matter what,” she said. “The kids have been such troopers. It’s hard when you don’t know what’s going to happen.”

High school drama unfolds on stage

Unrequited love and a senior class popularity contest, spiced with 1980s pop music, molds much of the plot in Marion High School’s fall play. The production “Back to the 80’s … The Totally Awesome Musical!” features character names and actions paying tribute to pop culture icons of the 80s. It pits the hero and leader of the regular guys, Corey Palmer (played by Charlie Nordquist), in a popularity contest for senior class president.

Marion grad to star as Frankenstein's monster

A recognizable face on Marion’s stage will likely be unrecognizable in a college production. John Lind of Marion will play “The Creature” in Butler Community College’s upcoming production of “Frankenstein: A New Musical.” Lind at 6’6” will be Frankenstein’s monster in the musical based on Mary Shelley’s classic novel.

No shortage of applicants for high school principal

Marion has several applicants for the high school principal position. Superintendent Aaron Homburg told the school board Monday that more than 10 people have applied so far, with a variety of age and experience from which to choose.

Three school board members ousted at Centre

Three Centre school board members were defeated by challengers in the Nov. 7 election. Eric Carlson defeated Sherri Pankratz 56-49 as representative of the Lincolnville area. Pankratz was running for her first full term after being appointed by the board to fill an unexpired term.

MENUS:

Final whistle blows on Thierolf era

At some point, coaches no longer look at their extra hours as part of the coaching duties, but as work. That, combined with the desire to watch his children coach at the high school level, drove Grant Thierolf’s decision to retire as head football coach at Marion High School. “It’s just one of those things that you just kind of know,” Thierolf said. “I’ve always said that when I get tired of being in the weight room every day during the summer, when I get tired of being at zero hour every day, when I get tired of mowing the grass out at the stadium, when I get tired of marking the field and the practice field and getting them ready to go, when I get tired of all the inventory and all that stuff and all the time that goes with it, it was time to quit.

Coach leaves giant shoes to fill

Standing a quarter of an inch shy of 9 feet, Robert Wadlow was the tallest man ever recorded. Because of his immense height, Wadlow had to have specially made shows, a pair of them once being on display at Hillsboro’s Adobe House.

Senior Warriors win league honors

Several senior Marion Warriors received Heart of America League honors for their performance on the field in an 8-3 season that ended in the second round of playoffs. First team offensive honors went to senior lineman Antone Vinduska and running backs Corbin Wheeler and Jack Schneider. Senior linemen Jarret McLinden and Tyler Palic and tight end Garrett Hoffner were named to the second team.

BOWLING:

Hotel to hold holiday dinner

A dinner and two-night stay is included in a getaway package at the Historic Elgin Hotel. The hotel will hold its first-ever Christmas Dinner Party on Saturday, Dec. 2. The menu will include prime rib, spiced wine, eggnog, and pumpkin cheesecake, along with live saxophone Christmas music.

Museum open house upcoming

Those interested in Mennonite history will have the opportunity to learn more Saturday. The Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum will hold a Christmas Open House from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Included will be a professional bow-making lesson and hot chocolate.

Thanksgiving service planned

Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church in Goessel plans a special Thanksgiving Day service beginning with an organ prelude at 9:45 a.m. New pastor Caleb Yoder will lead the music and gratitude service at 10 a.m.

Centre FFA plans blood drive

Centre High School’s FFA chapter will sponsor a blood drive from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday in the Centre gymnasium. Appointments are being accepted at (785) 983-4321 or at http://www.redcrossblood.org.

Governor-hopeful to appear Dec. 7

A Topeka physician who at one time represented this area in the Kansas Senate will make six appearances Dec. 7 in Marion County as he campaigns for the Republican gubernatorial nomination. Jim Barnett, who unsuccessfully tried to unseat Gov. Kathleen Sebelius in 2006, will visit Tracy Brunner’s ranch near Ramona at 9 a.m.

Calendar of events

Thursday 6:30 p.m. — Fall cattle producers meeting, Lincolnville Community Center. Saturday 10 a.m. — Christmas Open House, Mennonite Heritage and Agriculture Museum, Goessel. 2 p.m. — Open house birthday celebration for Joyce Kyle, Burns Community Center. 5 p.m. — Purchase goodies after Mass at Florence Catholic church to benefit Community Christmas. Sunday 8:30 a.m. – After Mass, St. Mark’s Altar Society Bake Sale. Purchase goodies at activity center to benefit Community Christmas. 10:30 a.m. — After Mass at Pilsen, PSR Bake Sale. Purchase goodies to benefit Community Christmas. 4 p.m. — Tabor College Fall Choral Concert, Hillsboro M.B. Church. Tuesday 9 a.m. — American Red Cross Blood Drive, Centre High School.

Return to current issue