Marion County RECORD

Budget set despite dire talk

Pleas to reduce the budget fell on sometimes sympathetic but still deaf ears Monday at Marion City Council’s budget hearing. Council members approved a $9,806,392 budget, up 30.9% over 2024, which itself was 34.6% over 2023.

Places to go, but no way to get there

An 18-year-old from Florence hopes to go more places and take in more experiences once she has a van equipped for her motorized wheelchair. Getting the van means raising money for it.

Vehicle thefts end in chase, kidnap charge

A former Durham man is being held without bond in Saline County Jail after stealing a car from Durham, then a pickup from Hillsboro, picking up two young women in Hutchinson, driving to Salina, and leading Salina police on a chase at up to 100 mph to Minneapolis. Ryan A. Hardey, 25, listed as homeless, in the Saline County jail, has previously been jailed five times in Marion County.

Serious bite among critter crimes

In one of a series of animal attacks last week, an 11-year-old girl had to be taken to Hillsboro Community Hospital for stitches Friday after being bitten by a dog at 7:30 p.m.in front of a Hillsboro church. “It took a bite of her calf area,” Assistant Police Chief Randy Brazil said. “I checked on her on Sunday. She’s good. She’s limping a little bit, but she’s good.”

Harvest looks 'excellent'

Combines and shipping trucks fired up their engines last week as county farmers harvested this year’s corn crop. “It’s been a good harvest,” Cooperative Grain and Supply’s local manager, John Ottensmeier, said. “Price is low, but the yields are high.”

Ballet tiptoes in with beauty

Nearly 400 Hillsboro residents brought lawn chairs and blankets to raptly watch 40 Wichita performers and two Hillsboro ballerinas performed Saturday at the community plaza. Ballet Wichita’s Ballet in the Park danced to “Once Upon a Time, a Fairytale Ballet” before Hillsboro’s final downtown cruise for the season.

Ex-chief won't avoid cameras in courtroom

A former Marion police chief who asked a court to shield him from having photos taken during his upcoming court appearances won’t get what he wanted. Gideon Cody, who led a now-disavowed raid Aug. 11, 2023, on the

Hillsboro to aid Peabody on water

Hillsboro City Council agreed Tuesday that Hillsboro water system employees would help Peabody with its understaffed public works department. City administrator Matt Stiles discussed Peabody’s staffing with mayor Lou Thurston, Peabody mayor Catherine Weems, and Hillsboro water superintendent and Peabody resident Morgan Marler.

Elgin to receive $10,000 grant

The Elgin Hotel will receive a $10,000 grant from the Kansas Department of Commerce to build an app and website that will serve as a tourism guide to Marion County. The tourism marketing grant, which is given out each September, pays about 40% of what’s required to build and publicize the guide, according to hotel proprietor Tammy Ensey. The hotel will pay the rest.

Kids get to be (or see) big wheels

A cement mixer, a fire truck, a school bus, a police car, and a garbage truck were just a few of the vehicles kids could explore Thursday at Hillsboro Elementary School’s 19th Annual Big Truck Night. Some of the trucks even offered activities for kids on board. “There’s a swing on the truck, the cement truck,” reported 8-year-old Beniah Remboldt. “We did the swing.”

John Miller

Private inurnment at Goessel Cemetery is planned for John L. Miller, 90, who died Sept. 2 at Bethesda Home in Goessel. He was born on New Year’s Eve, 1933, to Lee and Ruth Miller in their home near Scott in LaGrange County, Indiana.

Edith Penner

Services for Edith A. Penner, 89, who died Sept. 10 at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro, will be 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren Church. She was born Aug. 13, 1935, in Hillsboro to D.C. and Grace (Crist) Eitzen. She was raised on a farm southeast of Hillsboro.

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

2 towns, 2 events, 2 times the art

Hillsboro The 55th annual Arts and Crafts Fair will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday on Hillsboro’s Main St. Attendance is free.

Lake warms up to chili cookoff

The annual Chili Cookoff attracts around 500 taste-testers, who can pay $5 for a kit allowing them to sample a wide variety of chili. Lake Superintendent Isaac Hett said around 18 different chili recipes will be available to try this year.

Alumni come home for reunions

Marion Marion’s 113th annual Old Settlers Day will be Sept. 28. Included will be Marion High School class reunions, opportunities to reminisce about city history, and events including a parade, picnic, and golf tournament.

Unique museum honors unique immigrants who changed farming

Mennonites began to arrive in Marion and other Kansan counties from southern Russia (modern-day Ukraine) in 1874. The religious group had been situated in Russia for 200 years. But increasing threats of intolerance and mandatory military service meant they decided there was no more room for them under Czar Alexander II. After learning about the tolerant and far-reaching pastures of Kansas, hundreds of Mennonite families packed up their things and made the journey across the Atlantic.

Modern protection for century-old windows

The windows are more visible from outside, and better protected from storms and other kinds of damage. They were originally constructed in 1923 at a cost of $50,000 — around $936,900 in today’s money. Hand-stained and joined by leaded glass connectors, the windows display biblical scenes and objects using beautifully subtle colors.

Grocery and deli provides an oasis in growing Kansas food deserts

Its removal can spell disaster for locals, who might be left with a corporate mega-chain as their only option for groceries, or at least be forced to drive much farther for quality food. The Wichita Eagle reported in 2016 that 51% of Kansas’ 675 communities had no local supermarkets.

Accidents reported

Civil Division cases

County jail arrests and bookings

Criminal Division cases

Deeds recorded

Emergency dispatches

Offenses reported

Police activity reports

Dog-pound wise and tax-penny foolish

Sniffing around data on the back end of documents about taxes and budgets, it’s not long before you realize the scent is anything but pleasant, and property tax protests are like tails wagging dogs. This week, despite objections from some of the dozen or more in attendance, Marion’s city council unanimously approved increasing the city’s tax levy 3.9%. That’s a heavy burden, one that will especially dog retirees on fixed incomes, with most of their wealth (such as it is) buried like forgotten bones in home equity. Still, with inflation running around 2.5%, it’s at least understandable.

GUEST COMMENTARY:

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

80th birthday cards requested

Relatives and friends are organizing a card shower for Bob Loewen’s 80th birthday. Cards are being accepted at 14 Park Ave, Hillsboro KS 67063.

Blood drive planned

Blood donations will be accepted 1 to 6 p.m. Oct. 7 in fellowship hall of Goessel Church, 109 S. Church St., Goessel. The American Red Cross is scheduling appointments at redcrossblood.org and (800) 733-3767. Donors will receive $10 gift certificates.

Senior center menus

MEMORIES:

Three teams win; one loses quarterback

Marion continued to stay hot early in the season while Goessel and Hillsboro bounced back with victories. Peabody took its first loss, and Centre’s quarterback suffered a season-ending injury. Marion

Goessel wins its own invitational

Goessel won its own weekend invitational, Hillsboro took second in a separate invitational, and the rest of the county teams captured a few victories. Goessel

Most county teams run at Wamego

Hillsboro, Marion, and Centre ran at Wamego this weekend, with mixed results between the three teams. Leading the way for Marion was Luke Wessel with a 10th place finish and a time of 17:28.68. Eli Klenda was next, finishing in 22nd with a time of 18:04.42.

Trojans winless in tennis

Hillsboro’s tennis team was unable to capture a victory Thursday at the Smokey Valley Viking classic. In the singles division, Cassidy Bernhardt dropped her three games. “Cassidy ran into some really good, experienced singles players today,” coach David Ediger said. “She was right in both of her last two matches.”

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