Marion County RECORD

Mask rule may have slowed COVID-19

Public awareness heightened by Marion’s move to require face masks may have contributed to a dramatic slowing in the number of new COVID-19 cases reported daily in Marion County. In the past week, the county has recorded only one new case of COVID-19 — a man in his 30s, confirmed Sunday.

Cast of odd characters written in for office

Apparently some Marion County voters were not thrilled with anyone for county attorney. Incumbent Joel Ensey got 112 votes for county attorney. That is not enough to reach the 5% of registered voters needed to have his name appear on the November ballot. For that, he would have needed 384 votes.

Vendors hit hard by canceled craft shows

Vendors are feeling a financial squeeze with many craft shows on the chopping block or already canceled for 2020, and Marion’s canceled craft show is one more blow. “I stand to lose a substantial amount of money by not having the fairs I go to,” rural Marion resident Candy Vinduska said. “I’m certainly not the only one. I just don’t understand why we’re allowed to go to Walmart or Lowe’s and support those big box stores, yet Marion City Council was afraid of this outdoor event, which is huge.”

Old Settlers Day celebration in limbo

Marion’s Kiwanis club has backed out of sponsoring Old Settlers Day events on COVID-19 concerns. A Marion businesswoman is attempting a scaled-down celebration, but specific events or sponsors have not been lined up.

Task force solidifies plan to spend state grant

A county task force appointed to oversee allotment of a $2.39 million state grant submitted its report to the state Monday. The state’s Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas grant was created to aid local governments and nonprofits with COVID-19 costs and stimulate the economy.

Hillsboro receives satisfactory audit

An accountant with the city’s auditing firm gave a mostly satisfactory report to Hillsboro city council members Tuesday, with only a few issues pointed out. The city’s utility deposit report doesn’t reconcile with the deposit bank account balance, and the Convention and Visitors Bureau wasn’t able to provide all monthly minutes Danielle Hollingshead of Adams, Brown, Beran, and Ball in McPherson said.

Cremation services coming to Hillsboro

A crematory is planned for Hillsboro after the city council granted a rezoning request for a portion of property owned by Jost Funeral Home at 401 S. Washington St. Funeral director Jared Jost plans to convert a garage already on the property to install the 9-by-12-by-8-foot equipment.

Bagworms threaten Central Park's trees

A large evergreen in Marion’s Central Park heavily infested with bagworms might be a lost cause, but park staff will wait until spring to be sure. The tree looks awful with its denuded branches festooned with brown cocoons that are a trademark of the pest, said Pam Byer, an expert who consults with the city.

Hillsboro farmer thankful for help during long ordeal

Although it has been a rough 10 months for rural Hillsboro farmer Glen Ensz since he fell off a 30-foot grain bin Oct. 30, he is thankful for friends and neighbors who came to his assistance since the accident. Ensz landed on his feet when he fell, fracturing the large bones in both heels. He also fractured his left wrist and two vertebrae in the lumbar area of his spine.

Hillsboro resident returns to work after COVID-19

Brenda Moss still gets a tired from time to time, but she is happy to be back at work at Hillsboro Senior Center after having COVID-19. She is relieved that diligent mask wearing and social distancing meant Hillsboro’s seniors were still able to have meals delivered even though dine-in service was suspended.

Florence hotly debates clerk decision

It took two attempted appointments and a debate between Florence council member Matthew Williams and mayor Bill Harris, but Dana Gayle eventually was chosen as city clerk. Gayle, who served as the city’s interim city clerk, was not Harris’s first choice, but his original was decried by Williams during Monday’s city council meeting.

Lack of state water advisory causes confusion

“What we’ve got here is failure to communicate.” Those words were uttered by The Captain in 1967’s Cool Hand Luke, but they might have been appropriate Friday when the state’s health and environment department released a notice that a Florence boil water advisory was rescinded.

Man expresses anger over roads, employees

A Durham man voiced dissatisfaction Monday with both the condition of his road and the road and bridge department’s responses to his phone calls. Bill Harmon told county commissioners that he asked to be on the meeting’s agenda after talking with the road and bridge department and getting the same answer he’d gotten numerous times before.

Water to benefit fire department, residents

Ramona’s fire department soon will have a new water source, but it will benefit more than just the department, resident and firefighter Mark Lockhart said. “If we have a fire and empty our trucks then we have to depend on mutual aid to bring us more water,” he said. “Having eight acres right there in town, I would rather not have the fire keep going just because they didn’t have enough water.”

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

Accidents reported

Civil division cases

County jail arrests

Criminal division cases

Deeds recorded

Domestic division cases

Emergency dispatches

Offenses reported

Police activity reports

Traffic division cases

Old settlers would have worn masks

At a time when good news is hard to come by, we fortunately have some this week. Both in Marion County and statewide, evidence is mounting that raising public consciousness about face coverings is succeeding in slowing the spread of COVID. In Marion County, after stay-at-home orders were lifted, the disease had been progressing at a rate of 0.14 new cases per day before county commissioners gave people the false impression that COVID had been beaten and refused to go along with a statewide mandate for masks.

Nattering nabobs of negativism

One of the perks — or, perhaps, piques — of being a newspaper person is to continually be labeled as negative. What we find ironic is how negative some people can become when they accuse us of negativism. This week was a good example. One person took to social media — or, as we have come to call it, anti-social media — in response to one of last week’s editorials.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Herington woman brings old-fashioned joy to Marion

Carmen Santos of Herington finds no shortage of excited customers when she drives a van full of ice cream treats to Marion from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. every Friday. Santos sells frozen treats on a weekly tour of several towns. They include Alta Vista, Dwight, and White City on Sunday, Council Grove on Saturday, and Herington and Hope on Wednesday. She says she wants to give children an old-fashioned ice cream truck experience.

Marion native named vice president of finance

Marion native and Marion High School alumnus Myron Frans last week was named senior vice president of finance and operations at the University of Minnesota. Frans was appointed commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Revenue in 2011, and named commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget 1½ years ago.

Planning and zoning meeting set

The county’s planning and zoning board will meet at 7 p.m. Aug. 27 in the county courthouse’s commission room. The meeting also can be accessed remotely by visiting https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/764765997.

Drives set for cruise night

Hillsboro Downtown Cruise on Aug. 22 will include two supply drives to benefit students. Masks and school supplies will be collected.

Big Truck Night canceled

The 16th annual Big Truck Night will be canceled this year because of COVID-19. Parents as Teachers hopes to bring the September event back to Hillsboro Elementary School in the future.

Seniors take best guesses in contest

The senior center had a contast last week to see who could guess the amount of change in a jar. Gene Winkler won with a guess of $31.05. The amount in the jar was $22.61.

Senior center menus

MEMORIES:

Picking menus a balancing act for senior centers

Senior center cooks prepare food for seniors every day but they are bound by some strict nutrition regulations. Flint Hills Area Agency Aging, which presides over area senior centers, determines what can be served, and the centers are allowed to pick from those options, Peabody site manager LouAnn Bowlin said.

Food help options available for seniors

Seniors who need help putting food on their tables have more options than they did in the past. Gayla Ratzlaff, county department on aging director, said since March government commodities have arrived monthly instead of every other month. The change is not related to the pandemic.

Hillsboro Senior Center suspends in-house dining until September

Hillsboro Senior Center will not offer dine-in meals until September because it is in dire need of volunteers. Four of its volunteers are ill with health issues not related to COVID-19, manager Brenda Moss said.

Peabody-Burns increases safety measures

As a new school year creeps closer, Peabody-Burns is adopting new standards for in-person learning. Some purchases, such as a $100,000 air purifier for the school, just are not feasible, superintendent Ron Traxson said.

Peabody-Burns getting tough on drugs

Peabody-Burns will be taking a tougher stance on drugs this year. The school will implement testing for all middle and high school students participating in extracurricular activities. “It’s not a crackdown,” superintendent Ron Traxson said. “It’s an effort to help students if we do have to deal with a situation. The whole idea is that we try to initiate some educational programs, and it is a deterrent.”

Hillsboro flag football sign ups open

Flag football signups for Hillsboro-area children in first through sixth grades will be open through Aug. 31. Games will be 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays from Sept. 26 to Oct. 24 at Hillsboro Sports Complex.

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