Marion County RECORD

Judge expands control of hospital receiver

Lawyer also granted permission to quit case By PHYLLIS ZORN Staff writer The only one to show up Tuesday in Marion County District Court to speak on behalf of the owners of Hillsboro Community Hospital was Wichita lawyer Thomas Gilman, who has already asked the court’s permission to withdraw from the case.

Public may speak on wind farm plans

Friends and foes of a wind farm proposed for the southern portion of the county, and anyone wanting to learn more about the project, can have their say Monday when the county commission meets at 9 a.m. at Marion community center. National Renewable Solutions, based in Wayzata, Minnesota, proposes to build a wind farm originally the idea of Florence resident Rex Savage, who notched the idea forward but it never reached construction. NRS purchased the former Windborne Energy project in July 2018, renaming it Expedition Wind Farm, and has been meeting with property owners in the area they want to install turbines.

Commissioners discuss pay plan, make no decisions

County commissioners held a special Thursday meeting to mull over a pay plan proposed by consultants, but ended up tabling the subject to a later date. The plan, done by McGrath Human Resources Group and presented to commissioners in September, proposed increasing starting pay and market pay for employees already making below-market wages, annual raises, and consistent step increases.

Unsung and unseen heroes

“Marion County 911, what is the location of your emergency?” is what someone hears when they dial 911. This prerecorded message begins a complex series of actions for the two dispatchers on duty.

Florence council passes water lease

After a yearlong process, Florence City Council unanimously approved a lease agreement Monday for use of Crystal Springs from the DeForest family. The approved lease is for 50 years, but the city maintains the right to cancel with 90 days of notice, pending unforeseen circumstances.

Hoch Publishing adds new editor

Former McPherson Sentinel managing editor Mindy Kepfield, 45, joined Hoch Publishing staff Monday as a news editor. Kepfield has worked as a writer, designed news pages, photographed and edited copy for publishing companies in Kansas and Oklahoma including: The Hutchison News, Times-Sentinel Newspapers, The Norman Transcript and The Journal Record.In addition, she has served customers both in sales and as a newspaper librarian.

Next book discussion Wednesday

The next chapter of Marion City Library’s “One Community, One Book” series of book discussions will be 7 p.m. Wednesday in the Santa Fe Room at Marion City Library. Randy Collett will lead discussion of “Time’s Shadow,” by Arnold Bauer.

Mennonite fundraiser dinner March 15

The Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum’s annual Heritage Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. March 15. Featured speaker for the event will be Melissa Scheffler, news anchor for KWCH in Wichita. A Newton native, Scheffler will give attendees a “behind the scenes” look at the TV news business with stories and videos.

Sisters use home recipes in Florence bakery

Each week we’ll be featuring a Marion County business in our Business Bio section. Learn about products, services and people here in your own county. By ALEXANDER SIMONE Staff writer As young business owners from outside the county, Katie and Kami Claassen of Flint Hills Market and Bakery in Florence start their days as early as 4 a.m.

Casey's offers pizza delivery

Casey’s General Store in Marion will be offering pizza delivery from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday this week. Mike Richardson, Casey’s vice president of marketing, said the service is being offered at many of its stores, and the company is providing it this week in Marion to determine the demand.

Dueling pianos get crowd on its feet

HiFi Productions’ dueling pianos stole the show Saturday when Marion Advancement Campaign’s banquet filled Marion Community Center ballroom. “It’s been a great time,” economic development director Randy Collett said. “They’re really entertaining and they’re keeping the crowd here — that’s the main thing.”

Advocate named 'Citizen of the Year'

When longtime Tampa mayor Jim Clemmer died in November 2009 townspeople were wondering how they could ever replace him. Clemmer, who had been mayor since 1991, was aggressive in promoting and improving the town. Fortunately, two years later, along came David Mueller, a Tampa farmer who cared about the town and didn’t want to see its downtown buildings deteriorate to nothing.

Cyber security course to protect city assets

Knowing cyber security basics and putting them in practice will help protect Hillsboro and Marion city offices and reduce the risk of a cyber attack. Hillsboro city administrator Larry Paine and Marion city administrator Roger Holter and electrical supervisor Clayton Garnica are participating in a five-week cyber security course.

Swimming pool built but never used

The community of Tampa has become a model of cooperation between townspeople and rural residents. However, an incident that happened in 1936 tore them apart for a time. During the Great Depression of the 1930s, a federal agency named the National Youth Association and officers of Rural High School District #4 at Tampa entered into a written agreement to build a swimming pool on the high school grounds.

Protect pets as temperatures drop

It’s cold outside for pets, too. Just like people, pets’ cold tolerance can vary from pet to pet based on their coat, body fat, activity level, and health. It’s ideal to keep pets indoors when the temperatures drop below freezing.

IN MEMORIAM:

Accidents reported

Civil division cases

County jail arrests and bookings

Criminal division cases

Deeds reported

Domestic division cases

Emergency dispatches

Offenses reported

Municipal courts

Police incident reports

Traffic Division cases

Student loans mean more than monthly payments

Student loans have become as synonymous with college as late night studying and intramural sports, but borrowing money is no easy score. One of the main struggles can be neglecting payments due to financial difficulties, like medical hardship or unemployment, said Heather Ward, director of financial aid at Butler Community College.

2018 income tax filers may be in for surprises

Under sweeping tax changes in 2018, income tax filers will find many differences in the forms they file this year. The IRS Tax Time Guide, available online, points out several changes in federal income tax codes.

Steer clear of bogus sweepstakes callers

Local police departments recently received reports of bogus Publisher’s Clearinghouse Sweepstake crooks randomly calling residents with rewarding news of winning money. The giveaway that it’s a scam is that the grand prize is ‘won’ without ever entering.

Coping with cold, hard facts

One of the truer adages of this world is that you never know how much you miss something until it’s gone. That might be overly obvious to anyone waking up on a frigid morning after one of two planned power outages in Marion County.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

CALENDAR:

Country blogger shares recipes

As a teenager, Ashleigh Hett Krispense, 21, of Marion, ran across a cookbook containing pictures of wild horses and bought it for the photos. She wasn’t interested in cooking but noticed the recipes were accompanied with illustrated step-by-step instructions. The book inspired her to begin a food blog. A year later, she established a website, prairiegalcookin.com, that includes her blogs and other posts.

Sanders to celebrate 40th anniversary

Harvey and Betty (Laue) Sanders will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary March 17. They were married March 17, 1979, at Marion Christian Church, Marion. The Sanders have two daughters: Carol Laue of Marion and Christine Laue of Omaha, Nebraska.

Two scholarships offered

Marion County Democrats met Feb. 16 in Marion Community Center. Chairman Eileen Sieger introduced Susan Levra Wallace, precinct member from Blaine Township. Martin Holler led a discussion about scholarships to be offered to county high school seniors. Two $250 scholarships will be awarded for essays on two Kansas Democratic Party platform statements. The information will be sent to high school counselors.

Seniors to meet in Peabody

Peabody Seniors will have the March meeting of Senior Citizens of Marion County at 9:30 a.m. March 15. Lunch will be served. Reservations are due by March 13 and can be made by calling (620) 983-2226 or (620) 382-3580. Calls for transportation are due March 14.

MCHS to meet

Members of Marion County Historical Society will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the basement of Marion Community Center. They will finalize plans for the April 9 annual meeting.

SENIOR CENTER:

MEMORIES:

MEMORIES IN FOCUS:

Hillsboro ends Marion's season

The Marion boys second round sub state game against Hillsboro was another thriller, but the Warriors were left holding the short end of the stick. Marion ended with a 59-53 defeat, and it was a game full of highs and lows.

Checkoff dollars used for ag education

Students in Marion Peabody-Burns, and Centre schools are learning ag education through curriculum and equipment from Kansas Corn Commission. Kansas Corn’s STEM education program used by the three schools received the Reaching for Excellence award National Corn Growers Association Friday.

Tabor mum about cuts

Tabor College administration is holding their cards close to the chests on budget cuts the board of directors approved at its February meeting. A series of actions will be taken during upcoming months to reduce budget for the 2019-20, fiscal year including a two percent expense reduction, freezing all salaries, relocating Tabor’s online programs, and reducing payroll by more than $500,000.

Welding students place 4th

A team of four Marion High School students placed 4th at the Kansas Welding Institute invitational mig welding contest Friday. Individually for Marion, Noah Kukuk placed 10th, Devin Soyez placed 15th, and Peyton Ensey placed 18th. Braydin Sippel also competed.

Centre and Marion school menus

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