25 for ’25: The year’s top stories
Staff writer
Whether it was a year to remember or one to forget, 2025 is moving into the past this week, but many of its top stories will continue into the future.
Problems with police — in Marion, in Peabody, and at the sheriff’s department — dominated 2025 headlines, but many other topics also figured prominently in the year’s news.
Among them were the City of Marion’s budgeting; elimination of the Wildcat nickname for Marion Middle School; concerns about roads and docks at the county lake; a decade of violating state budget rules by the City of Peabody; and a strange election there, in which the mayor was ousted and two write-in candidates beat four candidates listed on the ballot.
Analysis of data from 5,738 news stories that were read a total of 998,028 times on the Record’s website this year reveals these as the year’s top topics:
1. Newsroom raid
As reported Nov. 5, a statewide insurance pool agreed to pay $3 million, and Marion County apologized, admitted wrongdoing, and kicked in an additional $50,000 to pay a consent judgment for the sheriff’s department’s role in raids Aug. 11, 2023, on the Record newsroom and two homes.
Most of the money went to Marion’s former vice mayor and to former Record employees who suffered health consequences as a result of being raided or of having personal computers or cell phones seized.
A larger suit remains pending against the City of Marion, whose former police chief led the raid. A federal judge hearing that case already has accepted (as reported April 2) the newspaper’s allegation that elected and appointed officials conspired against the newspaper.
The city already has been ordered to pay more than $75,000 (as reported June 11) in legal fees after being found guilty of acting in bad faith by refusing to turn over public records of incriminating text messages sent among city officials.
Meanwhile, former chief Gideon Cody was bound over (as reported Oct. 23) for trial on a charge of interfering with judicial process for allegedly urging destruction of texts he exchanged with restaurant owner Kari Newell, whose identity he falsely accused the Record of stealing.
Other disclosures in the case were that then-mayor David Mayfield (as reported March 19) praised Cody for putting the Record’s editor “in his place” and telling Cody that he supported Cody’s attempt to obtain later-disavowed search warrants “100%.”
Meanwhile, Newell, who moved to Newton, escaped a house fire there (reported March 19).
2. Peabody ‘gypsy’ cop
After public concern about how an incident at the Hub youth center was handled (reported March 5 and 12), Record investigations disclosed that the newly hired officer involved in that incident was facing a federal brutality suit in Kansas and allegations of paying an inmate for sex and illicit pills in Nevada (reported April 2, 16, and 23).
The controversy ultimately led to officer Eric Watts resignation (reported April 23) and the resignation of the chief (reported April 2) who hired him after superficial or no background checks (reported May 14).
3. Delinquent taxes
Sheriff Jeff Soyez, whose name was redacted from an official list, was among a record number of delinquent property taxpayers in the county (reported Aug. 6).
A total of 82 of the debtors promptly paid up after their names were published as part of the official list (Sept. 10). Buyers quickly snatched up properties sold because of earlier delinquencies (April 16 and 23).
4. Deputy runs over body
In what was the single most-read story of the year and the fourth most-read overall topic, Sheriff’s deputy Caleb Tomlinson ran over a dead body at an accident on US-77.
The sheriff’s department soon afterward fired him, but undersheriff Larry Starkey said the firing was “because of other issues,” (reported Aug. 6).
5. Marion wiffs on budget
For the second year in a row, despite promises of doing better, the City of Marion produced a budget and set a tax rate without the city council going through spending proposals in detail (reported Aug. 20).
Mayor Mike Powers apologized as the council approved a 10.6% increase in the city’s tax levy (reported Sept. 3) and reiterated a commitment (originally reported April 16) to do better with city budgeting.
An audit (reported May 7) also confirmed that Marion might not be receiving as much interest as it could on idle funds in its bank accounts.
6. Wildcats no more
After a disputed survey and a series of emotional meetings (reported Jan. 8, Jan. 15 and Feb. 12), the Marion-Florence school board voted (reported April 16) to replace Wildcats, an homage to Florence’s heritage as part of the district, with Warriors as the nickname for Marion Middle School sports teams.
7. Lake roads and docks
Wakeboard boats, suspected of damaging docks and stirring up blue-green algae at Marion County Lake (reported Aug. 20), produced weeks of debate and ultimately a decision (reported Aug. 27 and Sept. 10) to regulate such boating but not to privatize docks, as many dock owners had requested.
County commissioners still face a litany of concerns about safety, overcrowding of rental properties, and roads at the lake (reported Dec. 17).
8. Peabody flouts accounting
For at least a decade, Peabody has failed to publish as required by state law an annual accounting of city spending (reported Nov. 6).
First indications of the problem came up in auditors’ reports (Aug. 6) but were largely dismissed by the city’s then-mayor, who blamed the failing on recent firings and resignations that decimated Peabody’s city staff (reported March 12 and April 16).
In what might be a related story, the mayor was ousted in elections this fall, and two write-in candidates were elected in preference to four candidates on the ballot for city council seats (Nov. 5).
8. Delivery driver dies
In the third most-read individual story and eighth most-read overall topic, a 45-year-old delivery driver collapsed on a lawn in the 500 block of Locust St. in Marion and was taken to St. Luke Hospital, where he later died (reported Nov. 5).
9. Ambulance directors
The revolving door that has seen the county hire and lose multiple emergency services directors in recent years swung around once again in 2025 but seems to have closed at least for now.
A former director who already had quit lost his paramedic license for lying about not having a criminal background (reported Jan. 29).
After an interim director declined to stay on the job, a permanent replacement was hired (reported April 9) but quit before he actually started work (reported April 23).
Finally, Mickey Price was named to the permanent position, but staffing problems and bad addresses relayed to dispatchers continued to pose problems (reported June 11).
10. Dogs abused
In two apparently unrelated cases, nine starving dogs were found with a cat and a year-old baby at a house in Florence (reported March 12) and two emaciated dogs were seized in a cruelty case in Marion (reported Sept. 17).
11. Turnover in Marion
After having an administrator who served for less than a year and then an interim administrator for more than a year, Marion finally hired Brian Wells as its permanent administrator (May 14 and 21).
He promptly suggested that Marion’s Dollar General store begin selling fuel to increase competition (June 25).
Zach Hudlin, who had served as Marion’s interim chief after Gideon Cody’s resignation, was replaced by canine officer Aaron Slater (reported Aug. 6) then resigned (Sept. 3).
Meanwhile, after rumblings of discontent, fire chief Craig Killough abruptly retired (reported Sept. 10) and was replaced on a permanent basis by Fort Riley firefighter Andre Ebaben (reported Nov. 5).
12. Donahue bankrupt
Once one of Marion County’s shining gems of industry, Donahue Manufacturing of Durham closed in the face of a $1.1 million foreclosure (reported March 5).
13. THC drinks questioned
Police seized several THC-infused beverages from the shelves of Carlsons’ Grocery in Marion because of concerns whether they might be illegal in Kansas (reported July 23) but promptly returned them to brisk sales even though they still think, as several state officials do, that they’re illegal (reported July 30).
14. Windfarm under attack
Synchronized blinking lights that Sunflower Wind owner Orsted promised to turn off except when airplanes pass by continue to blink, fueling myriad complaints by wind farm opponents (reported Feb. 19 and Sept. 24).
Opponents also raised a ruckus about disposal of a damaged blade on a windfarm turbine (reported Sept. 3) and continue to argue against wind farm expansion at meetings of county commissioners and planning and zoning commissioners.
15. Dollar stores sell
Former Family Dollar / Dollar Tree stores that closed soon after opening in Marion and Peabody were sold for more than $200,000 each, including fees (reported Nov. 5 and Dec. 24).
To date, there’s no word on what’s planned for either former store.
16. County roads
With unusual amounts of rain pulverizing rock roads in the county, at least one county commissioner is blaming problems on use of soft rock, and residents are complaining about the safety of an intersection at 220th and Falcon Rds. (all reported Dec. 3).
17. ‘Chicken’ with train
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway is investigating reports of a group of kids playing chicken with a train coming at them in Peabody (reported Nov. 12).
18. Kids removed from home
Four children, ages 4 to 12, were taken into protective custody from a home in the 300 block of Locust St. in Marion after police were summoned to the home as many as three times a week for several weeks (reported March 5).
19. Food fight
Lengthy debate by city council members and reported tension, denied by the owner of That One Place, between food truck operators led Mis Viejos food truck to pull out of Marion (reported Feb. 26). A replacement from Newton arrived for a few weeks but then stopped coming.
20. Set to go-round again
A century-old icon — a 1926 Mitchell Whirl merry-go-round — removed from Marion’s Central Park because a support column broke (reported Sept. 10) is being rehabilitated and is expected to be reinstalled this spring.
21. Florence hears the roar
Not one but two motorsports events were staged in 2025 in Florence — the revived Florence Grand Prix for motorcycles (reported May 21) and a new cyclekart event with custom-made vintage-style racers (reported Aug. 27).
22. Parts, yes; food, no?
After initially expressing concern about a chain competing with a local business (reported Nov. 19), Hillsboro officials seemed to welcome news that an O’Reilly Auto Parts store would locate there (reported Dec. 17).
Meanwhile, an announced replacement for the now-closed Wendy’s restaurant (reported Aug. 6) seems not to have materialized as originally expected by year’s end.
23. Kapaun honored
An annual pilgrimage of the faithful to honor saint-candidate Emil Kapaun’s impact drew hundreds as usual (reported June 4). A new event — a Jeep Mass — was conducted later in the year (reported Nov. 12).
24. Hospital directors ousted
While not yet adopting promised plans to make hospital district elections more voter-friendly, hospital directors saw two of their number — Byron Lange and Jeff Soyez — defeated for re-election by Ryan Edmundson and Travis Parmley in the district’s current electoral method, in which voters much appear in person at a specific time at the end of a workday (reported May 28).
25. Immigrant fooled
An undocumented worker from elsewhere in Kansas thought she was going to an immigration office to get a green card allowing her to stay, but she was arrested, sent to jail in Cottonwood Falls, and deported in the year’s 50th most-read individual story and 25th most-read overall topic (published Aug. 20).
On the lighter side
Surprising stories — which unfortunately often involve negative developments — tend to dominate most-read lists at year’s end. But they’re not all the newspaper had to offer in 2025.
As a group, dozens of feature stories would have been the third most-read topic of the year if they had more topical consistency.
The top 10 individual stories included:
- How entrepreneur Stan Lerner flips not only houses but also his life (April 30).
- How a side gig turned into a full-time auction store in Marion for Don and Karen Wedd of Uneek Auctions (Sept. 10).
- How the county lake’s heated dock is a natural home for the existential (Feb. 5).
- How the county’s former poor farm, owned by Nancy Marr, is seeming a bit down on its luck (Feb. 19).
- How 22-year-old Peabody resident Perri Spencer has a personal stake in advocacy as a new member of a state autism council (Sept. 24).
- How there’s no place like home for Nancy Kassabaum even after slipping off her senatorial slippers (Jan. 15).
- How star fullback Ron Oelschlager blocked out a path to a career in radiology (May 14).
- How, for small schools, winning in sports is about more than the final score (Jan. 29).
- How Marion High School co-valedictorian Emmy Hess journeyed from Marion to Guatemala and back in her quest to become a physician (May 14).
- How the novelty of TC’s What-Not-Shop never wears off (June 18).