Marion County RECORD

HEADLINES

Today's legal tip: Don't drive to jail in a stolen car
Commuting to and from jail can pose problems, especially if you use a stolen vehicle to do it. McPherson resident Holly R. Hamm, 41, was arrested Friday on suspicion of possessing stolen property after Cory Howard, Moundridge, called the sheriff’s office to report that his Ford Escape had been stolen and that Hamm might have used it to drive it to jail.
Home appraisals rise 10.1%; property taxes could soar
Many county residents were shocked when they read their 2025 property appraisals. Countywide, appraisals increased 6.1%, only 0.8 percentage points of which was attributable to new construction.
Seeing green: Garden center in tumbledown building a fixture in Florence
The place is a strange one to be sure. Located on Florence’s Main St., it dates to the 1920s and has served over the years as the town’s first car dealership and the original Spur Ridge clinic. The roof is mostly gone, and the parts that remain are in pieces. When heavy snow or high winds hit the city, there are worries more might break off.
Satanists, Syria, and Scott Hill
Holy war was alive and well Sunday at the lake hall, as the Patriots of Liberty and Rep. Scott Hill denounced a “black mass” scheduled for next week outside the Kansas Capitol. The demonstration will be hosted by Satanic Grotto, a group founded by Linwood resident Michael Stewart.
Judge rejects Herbel's bid to cite new evidence
A federal judge has denied a request by lawyers for former Marion City Council member Ruth Herbel to reinstate civil rights violations alleged against several people involved in a police raid Aug. 11, 2023, on her home. The
Mayor praised chief for putting editor 'in his place'
A week after falsely claiming in court that it had provided them to the The emails were written five weeks before the chief started an investigation that ultimately led to a now disavowed raid of the
Newell escapes house fire
Kari Newell, the former Marion restaurant owner who figured in the Aug. 13, 2023, raid on the A witness told the Newton Kansan that he noticed “a little fire on the front porch” around 1:30 a.m. and that it quickly engulfed the entire front of Newell’s two-bedroom bungalow in the 300 block of E. 10th St.

OTHER NEWS

High winds wreak havoc throughout county
Wind gusts of up to 62 mph Friday created not only a red flag fire hazard but also kept firefighters, law enforcement, and ambulances busy responding to five semitrailer trucks that rolled onto their sides. Wrecks
Hillsboro joins liability pool
Hillsboro moved away from a typical liability insurance provider Tuesday as the city officially joined Kansas County Association Multiline Pool. The organization pools money from 114 different municipalities to put towards accidents, property damage, and other claims.
Marion sticks with traditional insurance; bill to rise 6.3%
Marion’s insurance rates climbed $8,000 this year. Insurance agent Alex Case told council members that next year’s price would be $133,572.
Commissioners talk trash
Commissioners talked trash Monday about trash blowing out of the county transfer station. Commissioner Mike Beneke said the station looked like a mess. He’d seen a lot of trash that had blown out of the station to the north and south sides of the building.
Peabody to get long-disputed grant after all
After months of pushing back and forth between Peabody Main Street Association and Kansas Department of Commerce, the two have resolved their differences and Main Street will get the second half of a grant awarded in 2023. Lt. Gov. David Toland announced last week that Commerce would pay out the second half of Main Street’s $1.5 million COVID-19-era Building a Stronger Economy grant.
Peabody youth center won't share video of police incident
The board of the Hub youth center in Peabody has rejected a request from the Marion County Record to view security footage about a police encounter. The footage is of a Feb. 8 incident in which officer Eric Watts radioed for backup after adolescents outside the Hub approached and allegedly threatened him.

DEATHS

Zenora Gard
Services for Hillsboro native Zenora Lorraine Gard, 96, who died March 12 at her home in Newton, will be 2 p.m. Sunday at First Baptist Church, Newton. Private burial was Friday at Greenwood Cemetery, Newton. She was born Nov. 1, 1928, to Albert and Irma (Richert) Duerksen and married Alvin E. Gard of Canton on Aug. 5, 1949, at Alexanderwohl Church. He preceded her in death along with sisters Clareen Klassen and Joyce Unruh.
IN MEMORIAM:
Bill Carpenter

FOR THE RECORD

HEALTH

Sufferers struggle to deal with smoke, dust
With multiple controlled burns blowing dust around last week and more on the horizon, county residents with respiratory problems aren’t breathing easy. “I can’t go outside as much with smoke in the air, dust, all that,” Florence resident Larry Creamer said.
Diet and health to be topic
“Food as Medicine” will be the topic of a lunch-and-learn program from noon to 1 p.m. April 2 at Marion City Library. Melanie Dunn will talk about nutritional health, providing information on ways to minimize risk of disease and manage current health problems. She will share disease-specific food plans.

OPINION

Darkness dies in sunshine, but only if we let it
You can’t have a cause anymore without having a month, week, or day. This week includes World Salt Awareness Week, World Panic Day, Global Recycling Day, Neurodiversity Celebration Week, National Poultry Day, International Day of Happiness, National Ravioli Day, World Oral Health Day, Comic Relief Red Nose Day, International Day of Forests, National French Bread Day, and World Poetry Day to name a few.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
Gifts that keep on giving
LETTERS:
Executive sessions, Medicaid cuts, Food for the poor

PEOPLE

Tabor art professor honored
Tabor College art professor Shin-hee Chin was honored Thursday in Topeka with an Excellence in Artistic Achievement in Visual Arts Award as part of the first Governor’s Arts Awards since 2011. The recognition celebrates her contributions to arts and culture in Kansas.
Senior center menus
MEMORIES:
15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 110, 145 years ago

SPORTS

There's no wrestling with what he likes
“I used to watch WWE, and my mom told me about wrestling, and I said I would try it,” 8-year-old RyLee Stringer said. “Now I’m here.” “Here” for RyLee meant finishing fifth in the Kansas Folkstyle Championships last weekend.
Students named champions of character
Marion High School has named athletes Izy Branson and Luke Wessel as its Champions of Character for last month. Izy was honored for her attitude both in school and in activities and for being a quiet leader whose leadership skills have grown.
Players named all-league
Heart of America League has named Marion’s Kenna Wesner second-team all league and given Marion’s Luke Wessel honorable mention in basketball. Central Kansas League has selected Hillsboro’s Lincoln Wichert and Amyah Werth for the first team and Ella Potucek for the second team and given honorable mention to Easton Shahan, Seth Driggers, and Noah Beavers.

UPCOMING

Free films planned in Hillsboro
Free movies will be shown at 1:30 and 3:15 p.m. Thursday at Hillsboro Public Library, 120 E. Grand Ave. Licensing agreements prevent the library from revealing the films’ titles.
Herington museum to celebrate 50 years
Herington Historical Society and Museum will celebrate its 50th anniversary with birthday cake, games, and prizes at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the museum, 800 S. Broadway St. Originally called the Tri-County Historical Society and Museum, the museum began in a post office basement. The current building opened in 1983. An addition was opened in 1988. A separate site across the street focuses on railroad history.
Mennonite portrayal planned
Donna Becker will portray a fictional Mennonite immigrant from around 1879 at the Museum Heritage Dinner at 6:30 p.m. March 29 at Tabor Mennonite Church, 891 Chisholm Trail Rd. Reservations are being accepted through Monday by the Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum at (620) 367-8200 and goesselmuseum@gmail.com.
Lunch to focus on starting seeds
A $5 lunch and program on starting seeds and planning garden activities is planned for noon March 26 at the Chisholm Trail Extension District office, 1116 E. Main St., Marion. Reservations for the lunch-and-learn event, sponsored by the extension district, Marion City Library, and Marion-Florence Recreation District, are being accepted at (620) 382-2442 and (620) 382-2325.
Trail history to be discussed
Steve Schmidt, who owns land along the historic Santa Fe Trail and has been studying the trail for almost 25 years, will discuss its local history at Marion County Historical Society’s annual meeting at 7 p.m. April 3 at Marion City Library. The meeting will be preceded by a social half-hour at 6:30 p.m.
Cemetery board to meet
The public may raise any questions, suggestions, or concerns about Prairie Lawn Cemetery when the cemetery’s board meets at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Peabody Senior Center, 106 N. Walnut St.
Disability board to meet
The public will be welcome when directors of Harvey-Marion County Developmental Disability Organization meet at 4 p.m. Monday in Suite 204 of 500 N. Main St., Newton.

Marion County RECORD

Many county residents were shocked when they read their 2025 property appraisals. Countywide, appraisals increased 6.1%, only 0.8 percentage points of which was attributable to new construction.

Holy war was alive and well Sunday at the lake hall, as the Patriots of Liberty and Rep. Scott Hill denounced a “black mass” scheduled for next week outside the Kansas Capitol. The demonstration will be hosted by Satanic Grotto, a group founded by Linwood resident Michael Stewart.

A federal judge has denied a request by lawyers for former Marion City Council member Ruth Herbel to reinstate civil rights violations alleged against several people involved in a police raid Aug. 11, 2023, on her home. The

A week after falsely claiming in court that it had provided them to the The emails were written five weeks before the chief started an investigation that ultimately led to a now disavowed raid of the

Wind gusts of up to 62 mph Friday created not only a red flag fire hazard but also kept firefighters, law enforcement, and ambulances busy responding to five semitrailer trucks that rolled onto their sides. Wrecks

Hillsboro moved away from a typical liability insurance provider Tuesday as the city officially joined Kansas County Association Multiline Pool. The organization pools money from 114 different municipalities to put towards accidents, property damage, and other claims.

Marion’s insurance rates climbed $8,000 this year. Insurance agent Alex Case told council members that next year’s price would be $133,572.

Commissioners talked trash Monday about trash blowing out of the county transfer station. Commissioner Mike Beneke said the station looked like a mess. He’d seen a lot of trash that had blown out of the station to the north and south sides of the building.

IN MEMORIAM:

With multiple controlled burns blowing dust around last week and more on the horizon, county residents with respiratory problems aren’t breathing easy. “I can’t go outside as much with smoke in the air, dust, all that,” Florence resident Larry Creamer said.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

LETTERS:

Tabor College art professor Shin-hee Chin was honored Thursday in Topeka with an Excellence in Artistic Achievement in Visual Arts Award as part of the first Governor’s Arts Awards since 2011. The recognition celebrates her contributions to arts and culture in Kansas.

MEMORIES:

“I used to watch WWE, and my mom told me about wrestling, and I said I would try it,” 8-year-old RyLee Stringer said. “Now I’m here.” “Here” for RyLee meant finishing fifth in the Kansas Folkstyle Championships last weekend.

Marion High School has named athletes Izy Branson and Luke Wessel as its Champions of Character for last month. Izy was honored for her attitude both in school and in activities and for being a quiet leader whose leadership skills have grown.

Free movies will be shown at 1:30 and 3:15 p.m. Thursday at Hillsboro Public Library, 120 E. Grand Ave. Licensing agreements prevent the library from revealing the films’ titles.

The public may raise any questions, suggestions, or concerns about Prairie Lawn Cemetery when the cemetery’s board meets at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Peabody Senior Center, 106 N. Walnut St.

The public will be welcome when directors of Harvey-Marion County Developmental Disability Organization meet at 4 p.m. Monday in Suite 204 of 500 N. Main St., Newton.