BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
Marion County Health Department reported a record seven new COVID-19 cases Tuesday.
The report follows an upward spiral of new cases over the last week. There are now 82 cases since the pandemic began, 15 of them active.
A 27-year-old Marion man was arrested at 3:35 p.m. Sunday after a search by sheriff’s deputies and Marion police in the 100 block of E. Forest St. yielded thousands of dollars worth of stolen property from at least two recent thefts in Marion and Marion County.
A search warrant for the residence of Cyle L. Wilson was connected to a theft earlier in the week. Wilson was arrested on suspicion of possession of stolen property. Police believed he was involved because a vehicle he owned was in the area at when the theft occurred, police chief Clinton Jeffrey said.
For the first time since county commissioners overturned a state mask mandate July 2, only one new case of COVID-19 was reported in the past five days.
A Tuesday announcement of a man in his 20s with a probable case of COVID-19 brings the county’s total to 63 cases — 52 cases confirmed by laboratory testing and 11 probable cases.
Wichita resident Todd Malcolm is buying the historic Bowron building in downtown Marion with the intention of converting the second story into living space and the first story into retail space for a combination of businesses.
The building is now rented to Expedition Wind, which plans to purchase 828 N. Roosevelt St. when the county issues building permits for its wind farm project. Malcolm said he will allow the wind farm company to remain in the building’s lower level until they are ready to move to the Roosevelt St. address.
A possible COVID case in the men’s dorm at Tabor College turned out to be a false alarm as its campus remains free of the virus.
It’s a twist that shows the small Mennonite liberal arts college to be a rare reopening success as clusters of cases erupt elsewhere.
Marion city council reinstated a mandatory mask order through the end of the year in a 4-1 vote Monday.
Mayor Dave Mayfield opposed the order.
Marion school board made an investment they hope will clear the air of dust motes, mold, bacteria, and possibly viruses.
Air purifiers ordered from Emporia-based DCS services are expected this week and will be installed at all of the district’s schools. Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas funds will cover the $118,528 cost.
Grants for 10 categories of businesses are available through Kansas Department of Commerce.
The department will give $130 million from the Coronavirus Relief Fund of the federal CARES Act. Grants are available for both non-profit and for-profit businesses.
The staff at Carlsons’ Grocery spray with disinfectant and carefully wipe counters, shelves and carts every night to protect their customers.
But co-owner Greg Carlson wants to do more to keep his family grocery free of germs and viruses.
Vern Voth’s aunts, Marie and Martha, created several hundred art pieces using wheat marquetry, and the legacy left after their artistic careers ended made him proud.
In wheat marquetry, partial or whole wheat strands are arranged into designs or pictures.
Despite opposition to a wind farm plan for the southern portion of Marion County, personalized license plates with three wind farm turbines set against a sunrise have made their appearance in the county.
Susan Berg in the vehicle division of the county treasurer’s office said 84 of the personalized license plates have been ordered in the county so far this year.
Peabody’s 2021 budget was finalized Monday, but did not include any funds for utilities expenses.
The city had $42,022 in utilities expenses in 2019, and had $42,000 in projected expenses for 2020.
A martial arts class will meet 6 to 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at Hillsboro’s Memorial Park.
Classes will emphasize hand-to-hand and weapon forms, self-defense, and sparring. The class costs $40 a month and $20 for each additional family member in a household. The first lesson is free.
Work on the county transfer station — originally estimated at $1.87 million but now estimated at $2.02 million — continues to roll along with steel work now underway.
Steel workers Monday set support posts in concrete, worked to form a floor in a room where refuse will be dumped, added steps to a steel staircase leading down to the lower floor, and did other tasks to complete the inside of the building.
Visitation will be Thursday for Lawrence James (Jim) Brennan Jr., 88, of Hillsboro, who passed away Monday. Funeral services will be private.
Born June 14, 1932, in Wheeling, West Virginia, to Lawrence and Marie Brennan, he married Rita Seidel on Sept. 4, 1954, in Columbus, Ohio.
IN MEMORIAM:
Ray KoegeboehnIN MEMORIAM:
Joyce KyleIN MEMORIAM:
Leona ManhartIN MEMORIAM:
Richard SnellingIN MEMORIAM:
Deanna Webb
Marion’s new teachers have been hired to guide students in a variety of subjects, yet they all share ties to small-town Kansas communities.
“I always loved the small-town feeling and community support, so I’m very happy to be in Marion,” middle school social studies teacher Austin Murphy. “When I came here that was what I was looking for, that small-town feeling and a family. I’ve really found that at Marion Middle School.”
Stephania Martin decided education was the career for her because it was a way to help others and provide for the future.
The children are the best part of her job.
Centre School District’s online enrollment program has seen a 125% increase in the wake of ongoing pandemic.
This year, 240 students in grades kindergarten through 12th grade are enrolled in online classes. Last year, 105 were enrolled.
Moving to a new school is a change for any teacher, but for Adam North it might be the second-biggest change to start his school year.
North, Hillsboro’s new high school math teacher, said his wife went into labor with their first baby Monday.
After a year living in Marion County, new Peabody-Burns third-grade teacher Cindy Ziesemer feels like she has found her hometown, 2,000 miles from where she grew up.
A native of Dallas, Oregon, Ziesemer enjoys the feeling of a small school district, and a county with Mennonite heritage.
Goessel has not had many faculty changes over the last 20 years, so to have three new teachers and a new superintendent is a major shift for the district.
Aryana Archuleta is Goessel’s new third-grade teacher, and she thinks finding success lies in balancing established practices with fresh ones.
These days, if you want a product to sell in a supermarket, you’d better put words like “gluten free,” “GMO free,” “fat free,” or “sugar free” somewhere on its label.
We wonder how long it will be before news organizations have to start labeling stories “COVID free” or even “Trump free” before people will be willing to read them.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
Have a blessed day
Seniors recently celebrated the anniversary of the end of World War II, recognizing Victory over Japan Day a day early, on Aug. 14.
They also celebrated Bambi’s birthday on Aug. 13.
From his birth June 1 until Aug. 3, Haroldine Hicks was only able to see photos of her sixth great-great-grandson, Nicolas Cerda.
On Aug. 3, Hicks got a surprise visit from the other four generations of her family at her Indian Guide Apartments home in Peabody.
Studio 23 Dance classes will be Mondays staring Sept. 14. September classes will be limited to 10 people and masks will be required.
The regular $45 fee will be reduced to $33.75, and $35 fees will be reduced to $26.25. Class registration is available at Hillsboro Recreation Commission’s page on the city’s website.
Gymnastics classes on Tuesdays will begin Sept. 8 at Marion County Fairgrounds.
Gymnasts will not be required for to wear masks during September classes, but masks will be required for non-participants.
Because opportunities to attend services may be limited for several weeks, the newspaper has invited local clergy to submit sermons for publication here.
By JOSH WERNER
Pastor, Our Savior Lutheran Church, Marion, and Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro,
Unfortunately, we are getting used to a touch-free, contact-free, “bubble” society.
MEMORIES:
10,
25,
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55,
70,
100,
140 years ago
A proposal will be voted on Friday at the state level to determine whether fall sports will be postponed for schools in some areas, but Hillsboro athletic director Robert Rempel believes the decision is unlikely to affect Marion County.
“I think there’s a lot of pressure to do something like this because of the Kansas City and Wichita areas,” he said. “It’s all those schools that have delayed for two, four, nine weeks, or even completely said there’s not going to be fall athletics in their districts.”
Two Marion County students are spring 2020 graduates from Fort Hays State University.
Candace Kay Green, Burns, earned a bachelor’s degree in general studies with an emphasis in education.