Marion County RECORD

Trip to get green card ends up in Cottonwood Falls jail

Thinking she was starting her green-card process, Rosmery Alvarado traveled from Pittsburg, Kansas, to a U.S. Immigration Services office in Kansas City last week. She instead was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and sent to Chase County Detention Center for seven days.

Clinic folds after 13 months

Abilene’s Memorial Health System’s Herington clinic, which opened in May after the abrupt closure of Herington Hospital seven months earlier, will close June 6. Competition from a new emergency hospital proposed by the owners of Hillsboro Community Hospital is being cited as a reason.

Entrepreneur flips not only houses but also his life

Coming from him, it is a fascinating statement — he already knows how both taste. Yet here he is in Florence, spending his days trying to repair rundown properties.

Firefighters have alarming weekend

False alarms Sunday evening through Monday morning at Westview Manor kept Peabody Fire Chief Colton Glenn hustling. Westview’s fire alarm company notified dispatchers of numerous fire alarms through the night, and the fire department was paged to the nursing home.

Alum goes the distance for school lunches

Adam Jones celebrated his 39th birthday last week in an unconventional way — competing in a triathlon of his own creation, which saw him swim, bike, and run from Newton to his hometown of Peabody. Jones began by swimming 3.9 kilometers at the Newton YMCA. He then biked 39 miles from Newton to Peabody-Burns High School before running 3.9 kilometers around Peabody, ending at the elementary school. The triathlon took 4 hours 45 minutes.

Marion violated open meetings act

More than two years after the fact, the state attorney general’s office has ruled that the City of Marion violated the Kansas Open Meetings Act when it met behind closed doors Feb. 6, 2023, to consider Janet Robinson’s nomination to become city clerk. After an extensive investigation, including review of 178 pages of documents provided by City Attorney Brian Bina, the attorney general’s office concluded that the city failed to include all statutorily required elements in its motion to go into executive session.

Child porn draws prison term

Marshall Ray Swanson, 61, Peabody, was sentenced Monday to six years nine months in prison for two counts of sexual exploitation of a child. He was charged March 7, 2024, with 12 counts of sexual exploitation of a child for possession of visual depictions of a child younger than 18 shown or heard engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

Tykes get a head start on gardening

Marion Head Start students got to get dirty Monday when they went to the community garden to plant seeds. The experience was an activity in a gardening study that will last through mid-May. Children used hand trowels to dig into freshly turned earth, put mulch in the holes, and planted seeds.

Marion airport to offer fuel again

A state grant has been a windfall to Marion’s airport in more ways than one. The airport’s fueling system had to be shut down May 6, 2024, because of leaks that could not be repaired, airport board member and spokesman Kenneth “Buck” Hoyt said. Technicians told airport board members that parts were no longer available for the 50-year-old equipment.

Hillsboro foundation honors founders

Hillsboro Community Foundation’s five founding members were honored April 10 as Philanthropists of the Year during Central Kansas Community Foundation’s Spring Soiree. The five established the foundation in 2004.

Local author to publish 9th book

The ever-productive Thane Schwartz of Marion will publish his ninth book in the next few days. Titled “Project 2050: The Sixth Trump and The Last Pope,” the novel is 215 pages long. Schwartz described it as a religious science-fiction book that blends American politics, the recent death of Pope Francis, and the Book of Revelation.

IN MEMORIAM:

Accidents investigated

Civil Division cases

County jail arrests and bookings

Criminal Division cases

Deeds recorded

Emergency dispatches

Offenses reported

Police activity reports

Deere dealer helps grow technicians

Technical education programs offered through Prairieland Partners and AgriVision are getting a kick start at Marion’s Prairieland Partners. Both a John Deere Ag Tech program and a diesel tech program that helps people go to a certified community college that offers a diesel tech program have entryways through the local John Deere dealership.

Cleaning up our 'Dirty Laundry'

Ask your phone, smart speaker, or computer to play it, and it’ll sound dated — like a funeral organist trying to play to a disco beat. But a lot of people probably still share the views singer-songwriter Don Henley expressed when he wrote these lyrics in 1982: I make my livin’ off the evenin’ news. Just give me somethin’, somethin’ I can use. People love it when you lose. They love dirty laundry. Well, I coulda been an actor, but I wound up here. I just have to look good; I don’t have to be clear. Come and whisper in my ear. Give us dirty laundry. We got the bubble-headed bleached blonde, comes on at 5. She can tell you ’bout the plane crash with a gleam in her eye. It’s interesting when people die. Give us dirty laundry. Can we film the operation? Is the head dead yet? You know the boys in the newsroom got a running bet. Get the widow on the set! We need dirty laundry. You don’t really need to find out what’s goin’ on. You don’t really wanna know just how far it’s gone. Just leave well enough alone. Eat your dirty laundry. Kick ’em when they’re up, Kick ’em when they’re down, Kick ’em when they’re stiff, Kick ’em all around. To be sure, our air waves have more than their share of Barbie and Ken clones, so blown-dry that not just their hair but also their brains are poofy. Still, most journalists share Henley’s disdain for an “if it bleeds it leads” approach to news. Stories of that nature are popular. They’ll top the list of most-read items on our website. Facebook’s secret algorithm for how it decides what small percentage of postings to share with others gives exceptionally high ratings to such things — presumably because people want to read them.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

CORRECTIONS:

Cards requested for 65th anniversary

A card shower has been requested for Jerry and FayeMakovec’s 65thwedding anniversary. They were married May 7, 1960, at St. Mark Catholic Church in Marion.

Ministry courses planned

Pending approval from the Higher Learning Commission, Tabor College plans to offer a master’s degree in ministry starting in the 2026-’27 academic year. The college’s first step will be to add eight-week graduate-level courses, taught partly in person and partly online, this fall. Credit will transfer to the degree program if it is approved.

Hillsboro student nominated

Jessica Saunders, a public accounting and finance major from Hillsboro, is among 31 Fort Hays State University seniors nominated for the university’s 2025 Torch Award. The award honors classroom excellence, leadership, and participation in professional organizations and student, civic, or research activities.

Free athlete physicals offered

Health Ministries Mobile Clinic will offer free student-athlete physicals from 1:20 to 4:20 p.m. Tuesday at Peabody-Burns High School. Appointments are being accepted by school nurse April Wedel at (620) 983-2196.

Happy Hustler 4-H club notes

Ruby Schmidt talked about showing dogs and Antonia Baxa organized rounds of Spy Tag when 13 members of Happy Hustlers 4-H Club met at 7:15 p.m. April 7. Members, three leaders, four parents, and two guests answered roll call by naming their favorite candy or candy bar.

Senior center menus

MEMORIES:

Trojans take down Warriors

Marion got off to a quick start Tuesday at Hillsboro with a 1-0 lead in the first inning. But that would be the last of the Warriors offense. Hillsboro tied the game 1-1 in the second inning after Jackson Kleiber got a base hit that brought Aiden Hurst in to score.

Warriors place at tough meet

Marion’s track and field traveled to a tough meet Friday at Halsted but still managed to place in several events. Luke Wessel led with a first place finish in the 800.

Marion to be host for golf

Marion will be host for a varsity golf tournament Tuesday with Centre’s lone golfer and Goessel golfers scheduled to attend. Hillsboro’s Lincoln Wichert tied for 12th Monday at the Southeast of Saline invitational.

Softball losing streak reaches 8 games

Hillsboro softball played Inman Tuesday while the baseball team battled Marion for county supremacy. Trojan softball lost both games against Inman, 13-2 and 10-2.

Swim team wins at home

Marion’s swim team, including students from Centre, Hillsboro, and Peabody-Burns, won its final home meet of the season Friday.. Individually, Lauryn Vogt won in the 50-meter freestyle and the 100-meter backstroke.

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