Marion County RECORD

HEADLINES

Turbines could spin by year's end
If the weather is cooperative, construction on a wind farm between Marion, Florence, and Peabody could begin before the year is out. “If everything goes to plan, our plan is to start construction in late 2013,” Lee Bowen of Sunwind Energy Group said Monday.
The boys of summer - 'round the clock sports
If Grif Case had to wake up 6 a.m. every morning to play baseball, it probably would not be his favorite sport. As is, he wakes up at 6 most weekdays to lift weights with football teammates. After an hour of lifting, they hit the field for another hour, running sprints on Mondays and Thursdays. On Tuesdays and Fridays, he, and other aspiring wide receivers and corners run routes without pads.
Backseat drivers pass requirements
Freshmen girls and boys disagree about many things, especially driver education. “The boys backed into the ditch and we had to rock back and forth while they gunned it to get out,” student Krisde Robinson said.
Newspaper adds 2 to team
Two new employees with similar first names joined the Marion County Record, Hillsboro Star-Journal, and Peabody Gazette-Bulletin team on Monday. Oliver Good will be a familiar face to many in Marion. He graduated from Marion High School in 2000 and received a bachelor’s degree in English with a focus on creative writing from Kansas State University in 2005. He just finished a year studying graphic design at the University of Kansas.
Man driving ATV plunges over cliff
A man weighing more than 300 pounds tumbled over a cliff while driving an all-terrain vehicle next to a pond Tuesday beside Country Dreams Bed and Breakfast. Harry E. Fullerton of Omaha, Neb., was visiting Country Dreams with his friend, Warren Bell, for a fishing trip. Fullerton was using the ATV, owned by Country Dreams, with the permission of Alice Richmond because he had struggled to walk to the inn’s boat dock.
Free clothing to end at Shepherd's Shed
For nearly 11 years, Shepherd’s Shed has been providing free clothing to Marion County residents. That will end July 1 unless founder Robin Dicks can find someone to take over for her.
Bluegrass minus the graybeards
The average age of the Bluegrass at the Lake crowd was about 50, with a few gray beards sprinkled in among the spectators. The elder statesman of the first featured act, KBA Treblemakers, is 14. Guitar player Dawson Tarrant of Conway Springs had the most experience of any of his five band mates; he’s been playing with different lineups of the Treblemakers since he was 10 years old.

DEATHS

Pearl Ayler
Former Marion resident Pearl Beaston Ayler, 94, died Thursday in Carson City, Nev., where she resided. She was born Dec. 4, 1918, in Marion to Charles and Augusta Beaston and married Charles Ayler. He preceded her in death.
Gail "Bill" Dunn
Gail William “Bill” Dunn, 96, died Sunday in Valley Center. He was born in Marion to Clyde William and Fern (Pollitt) Dunn. He married Arlene Lucille Davison on Aug. 10, 1940. He was a U.S. Air Force and World War II veteran. He retired from Sedgwick County as a welder and previously worked for Boeing, Cessna, and Beechcraft.
Walter Weber
Walter Weber, 92, died Sunday at Sedgwick Health Care Center in Sedgwick. He was born Oct. 29, 1920, to David and Elizabeth (Reh) Weber. He married Dorothy Loewen on June 13, 1947, in Hillsboro.
IN MEMORIAM:
Glenna Newkirk

DOCKET

GOVERNMENT

County buys SUV for EMS
Marion County Commission voted Monday to purchase a new sport utility vehicle and medical equipment for the county’s ambulance department. A Ford Expedition will be purchased from the federal General Services Administration for $25,874, about $6,000 less than it would cost from local dealers, Emergency Medical Service director Steve Smith said.

HEALTH

KanCare a bureaucratic maze
Anecdotal evidence suggests that in its first year, KanCare — Kansas’ new privatized system for administering Medicaid — has been a bureaucratic mess. Marion County’s ambulance service goes around and around with one of the three KanCare contractors to get reimbursed for mileage on emergency transfers from one hospital to another.
Hair today, gone to support
Red Moore, 55, has a strange look these days. In support of her daughter Jessica Moore, 31, and her good friend Cynthia Barrett, 57, she has shaved her head. Jessica was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer last year and Cynthia with stage three this year.
Kids need occupational therapy
Maggie Powers is nervous and excited to begin working next month at Greenbush Education Center in Topeka. It is the Marion High School graduate’s first job as an occupational therapist after receiving a master’s degree from the University of Kansas. She is anxious about the unknown, but has a feeling she will ease into her new position once she begins working with clients.
Athlete relies on family, nutrition
Kevin Nickel runs because it is part of who he is. A Goessel High School and Tabor College alumnus, he is successful in half iron-man and triathlon competitions because of family support and good health habits. “Because of my work, I need to portray a healthy lifestyle,” Nickel said. “My nature is to want to be the best at what I do, and I enjoy the competition.”

KAPAUN STORY

Part 11 of serialization
Faithful on the Frontline
July 10, 1950 Dear Aunt Tena, This letter is being written on an LST in the middle of the ocean, in a large convoy. We have two submarines for protection, the Marines are to come in with us, the Navy will bombard the coast and the Air Corps will bomb the beach so we can make a landing in Korea. This is a big invasion and we are right in the middle of it.

OPINION

There ought to be a law
Watching the inane way governments operate, we almost are ready to agree with tea partiers that the only good government is a broke government, unable to do anything. Almost.
More than a few catty comments
Random thoughts while pondering whether members of our reporting staff paid off my cat to bat at my pen and flip her tail across their stories while I try to edit them: Do you suppose the new ultra-bright lights in Marion National’s time and temperature sign are harbingers of ultra-high temperatures to come?
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
Birds of a feather
LETTERS:
Pianist a blessing, Pipeline and taxes

OTHER NEWS

Development chief tells about impressions
Roger Holter, Marion’s new economic development director, updated Marion Economic Development Inc. on his first two weeks on the job Tuesday. There has been a lot of work familiarizing himself with the city’s economic development history. He has also been studying economic trends for rural areas, including the differences between successful and unsuccessful communities.
County sets dates for fireworks
Fireworks can be sold and discharged in rural areas of Marion County from June 28 through July 6, the county commission voted Monday. Fireworks may be discharged 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. June 28 and July 2, 3, and 5; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 29 through July 1; and 8 a.m. to midnight July 4 and 6.
Short sale slows home-buying process
When Josh Smith of Marion began looking for a house in town to rent with his girlfriend, Samantha Jo Alvarez, he found that anything to his liking was renting for $450 per month or more. So instead of renting, he decided to look at buying his first house. “I would rather pay to own than to rent,” he said.
4-H to serve pulled pork
The Happy Hustler’s 4-H Club will be serving $5 pulled pork meals 5 to 7 p.m. June 26 at the Farmer’s Market at Marion Central Park. Proceeds will go toward building restrooms in the park. For more information, call Lori McLinden at (620) 382-6255.
MKC donates to food bank
The Mid-Kansas Cooperative donated $1,000 to the Marion County Food Bank. The company’s employees also donated 3,000 pounds of food to area food banks.
Flood insurance may skyrocket
Homes built in floodplains before the floodplains were mapped will lose a significant discount they have received on flood insurance, planning and zoning officer Tonya Richards told Marion County Commission on Monday. A homeowner who previously paid $700 to $800 a year may have to pay $3000 a year for flood insurance because of a change in federal rules. Floodplain maps in the county were made in the mid-1970s, she said.
Relay for life set for August 24
Relay For Life will be 6 p.m. Aug. 24 to midnight Aug. 25 at the Sports and Aquatic Center, 102 N. Thorp St., Marion. For more about the American Cancer Society. fundraisers, call (316) 616-6503 or visit http://www.relayforlife.org/marioncoks.

PEOPLE

Grad goes on mission trip before college
New graduate Andrea Nordquist is taking a different approach to her last summer before college. Thursday night, she arrived in Accra, Ghana, in Africa to spend 56 days helping teach preschool-age children at an orphanage. Nordquist decided to go on the mission trip after meeting organizers of Feeding the Orphans last summer at King Solomon Church Camp, said her mother, Jana Nordquist.
P.E.O. has new members
P.E.O. Chapter DB installed a new member and reinstated another when it met June 10 at Eastmoor United Methodist Church. Mickey Lundy was welcomed as a reinstated member. President Pam Bowers presented a membership pin to new member Mary Almaguer.
Poetry group to meet Thursday
The Poem in Your Pocket group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at Marion City Library. Participants are encouraged to bring poems to celebrate summer.
Heerey named top agent in Kansas
Doug Heerey of Marion has been named Shelter Insurance’s top agent in Kansas based on overall agency operation. Heerey has represented Shelter, which is based in Columbia, Mo., since 2009.
ANNIVERSARIES:
Andersons celebrate 65th anniversary, Litkes celebrate 65 years together
CORRESPONDENTS:
Marion Senior Center
MEMORIES:
10, 25, 35, 50, 60, 100, 125 years ago

SCHOOL

Marion County students win honors
Twenty-two Marion County students earned spring semester honors at Kansas State University: Florence: Jaclyn Deforest. Hillsboro: Aaron Klassen, Bryant Miller, Alex Nuss, and Candace Weinbrenner. Lehigh: Neal Kaiser. Lincolnville: Taylor Harms. Marion: Samuel Ehrlich, Patrick Hodson, Louis Holt, Tristan Snelling, Derek Stuchlik, Eric Vogel, and Julia Zeiner. Peabody: Alexandra Holm-McDowell, Broderick Kyle, Seth Methvin, Derrick Till, Courtney Traxson, and Joseph Zappone. Tampa: Matthew Klenda. University of Kansas

MORE…

MOVE MOUSE OVER IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT

Grif Case and Zach Robson hit the water fountain during basketball practice on Tuesday. Summer sports are hard work for Case and Robson. Case plays as many as eight baseball games a week. Robson is playing summer basketball.

Student driver Aaron Riggs checks to make sure everyone is buckled up before putting a school van in gear Friday for parallel parking practice at Second and Santa Fe streets in Marion. Instructor Steve Janzen went through a check list with Riggs, while Seth Savage and Krisde Robinson waited their turn, along with Marissa Jacobson (not pictured).

Josh Smith, Samantha Jo Alvarez, and Carson stand outside their new home in the 100 block of Locust Street in Marion. Smith said he had liked the house ever since he played football in a neighboring lot as a child.

The KBA Treblemakers warm up along waters’ edge Saturday at Bluegrass at the Lake. The oldest member of the band is 14 and the youngest is 10.

Marion County RECORD

If the weather is cooperative, construction on a wind farm between Marion, Florence, and Peabody could begin before the year is out. “If everything goes to plan, our plan is to start construction in late 2013,” Lee Bowen of Sunwind Energy Group said Monday.

Freshmen girls and boys disagree about many things, especially driver education. “The boys backed into the ditch and we had to rock back and forth while they gunned it to get out,” student Krisde Robinson said.

For nearly 11 years, Shepherd’s Shed has been providing free clothing to Marion County residents. That will end July 1 unless founder Robin Dicks can find someone to take over for her.

Former Marion resident Pearl Beaston Ayler, 94, died Thursday in Carson City, Nev., where she resided. She was born Dec. 4, 1918, in Marion to Charles and Augusta Beaston and married Charles Ayler. He preceded her in death.

Walter Weber, 92, died Sunday at Sedgwick Health Care Center in Sedgwick. He was born Oct. 29, 1920, to David and Elizabeth (Reh) Weber. He married Dorothy Loewen on June 13, 1947, in Hillsboro.

IN MEMORIAM:

Red Moore, 55, has a strange look these days. In support of her daughter Jessica Moore, 31, and her good friend Cynthia Barrett, 57, she has shaved her head. Jessica was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer last year and Cynthia with stage three this year.

Watching the inane way governments operate, we almost are ready to agree with tea partiers that the only good government is a broke government, unable to do anything. Almost.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

LETTERS:

Fireworks can be sold and discharged in rural areas of Marion County from June 28 through July 6, the county commission voted Monday. Fireworks may be discharged 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. June 28 and July 2, 3, and 5; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. June 29 through July 1; and 8 a.m. to midnight July 4 and 6.

The Happy Hustler’s 4-H Club will be serving $5 pulled pork meals 5 to 7 p.m. June 26 at the Farmer’s Market at Marion Central Park. Proceeds will go toward building restrooms in the park. For more information, call Lori McLinden at (620) 382-6255.

The Mid-Kansas Cooperative donated $1,000 to the Marion County Food Bank. The company’s employees also donated 3,000 pounds of food to area food banks.

Relay For Life will be 6 p.m. Aug. 24 to midnight Aug. 25 at the Sports and Aquatic Center, 102 N. Thorp St., Marion. For more about the American Cancer Society. fundraisers, call (316) 616-6503 or visit http://www.relayforlife.org/marioncoks.

P.E.O. Chapter DB installed a new member and reinstated another when it met June 10 at Eastmoor United Methodist Church. Mickey Lundy was welcomed as a reinstated member. President Pam Bowers presented a membership pin to new member Mary Almaguer.

The Poem in Your Pocket group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursday at Marion City Library. Participants are encouraged to bring poems to celebrate summer.

Doug Heerey of Marion has been named Shelter Insurance’s top agent in Kansas based on overall agency operation. Heerey has represented Shelter, which is based in Columbia, Mo., since 2009.

ANNIVERSARIES:

CORRESPONDENTS:

MEMORIES: