Marion County RECORD

HEADLINES

House near park to become unique gathering place
By late spring, Marion will have a gathering place like no other. Michelle and Merle Flaming are creating a gathering place for family, friends, and friends-to-be in a former house at 626 E. Main St. that once housed an alpaca products store and a stone-oven pizza shop.
Passersby rescue kids in fiery fatality
Two children injured in an accident that killed three others on US-56 are home from the hospital after they were pulled from the wreck by several local heroes. Aspyn J. Goldsberry, 5, and 3-year-old Jensen D. Tomkinson, both of Salina, were passengers in 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan driven by Nathan D. Puett, 30, when he crossed the center line and crashed head-on into a westbound 2000 Ford F-150 driven by James L. Potter, 70, of Emporia.
Search for escaped dogs continuing
Volunteers and law officers are still searching for several greyhounds on the loose after they were released from a burning trailer on US-56 after a deadly crash. Sheriff’s deputies have gone out at least once a day, maybe twice, sheriff Robert Craft said.
Tabor athletes face felony charges after drag racing crash
Two Tabor College athletes were charged Thursday with felonies stemming from a November wreck that happened when they were drag racing on Industrial Rd. at Hillsboro. Abigail D. Schmidt, 18, Caldwell, a freshman forward on Tabor’s basketball team, was racing a Dodge Charger that collided in the US-56 intersection with a pickup driven by Matthew W. Bishop, 31, Moundridge.

OTHER NEWS

Leadership program to rise from the ashes
A program designed to develop leaders in the county will rise from the ashes after county commissioners voted to once again get the ball rolling. Leadership Marion County previously operated from 1989 to 2011 and then from 2013 to 2014.
Drunk driver sentenced for crash into center
A man who crashed his car into the library of Marion’s Assisted Living Center in April was sentenced to probation, two days in jail, and ordered to pay restitution. John A. Ottensmeier was sentenced Feb. 17 to a year’s probation and ordered to spend 48 hours in jail for driving under the influence.
COVID cases continue to drop
This week showed continued decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases in Marion County. Marion County health department in the last week reported eight new cases of COVID, a 33% decrease from the 12 new cases reported last week.
Vaccination clinics set for seniors
County residents who got their first COVID-19 vaccinations Feb. 3 are getting booster shots today at the county fairgrounds. On March 10, booster shots will be given to people who were vaccinated Feb. 10. Location will be at the Shari Flaming Center for the Arts at Tabor. Appointment time is the same as the Feb. 10 clinic.

COUNTY

Effort to revamp city park in Peabody raises $110,500
An effort to revamp Peabody’s City Park has raised $110,500, placing it within $69,500 of its $180,000 fund-raising goal. The deadline for the second phase of the project is April 30, less than two months away.
Prairie fires burn 900 acres
Two grass fires that occurred this past weekend had many county fire departments scrambling to battle the blazes. The fires were less than two miles, but only one day, apart.
Florence building getting a slow, steady makeover
A building on the corner of 4th and Main Sts. in Florence is getting a rough makeover, but owner Joel Hayes knows it has a tough history. The two-story structure had been a bar that partially burned in a fire.
Highway entrances could be made better
Hillsboro’s city council hopes to get work done on two entrances to the city from US-56. Engineer Darin Neufeld presented Tuesday a grant proposal to add a deceleration lane along the south side of US-56 at the Elm St. intersection and replace pavement and cracked panel slabs of the former center island on the Ash St. intersection.

DEATHS

William Brewer
Services for William Albert Brewer Jr., 75, who died Feb. 23 at Hillsboro Community Hospital, will be held at a later date. He was born Dec. 21, 1945, in Salina to William Albert and Rose Marie (Higgins) Brewer.
Connie Warneke
No services are planned for former Marion resident Connie Warneke, 75, who died Friday in McPherson. A memorial has been established with the Marion County Lake Memorial Fund.
IN MEMORIAM:
Armelio Del Castillo

DOCKET

FARM

Push to 'eat local' brings farm to market
Area grocers say both regular customers and visitors from other towns are eager to buy products produced close to home. Catherine Weems, co-owner of Peabody Market, said one of the most popular local items at her store is Graze N Layz eggs.
Ag entrepreneur markets plethora of products
Duane Unruh and his family, who live north of Walton, raise beef, poultry, and produce, and like a growing number of U.S. farmers, they market their wares directly to the consumer. Arguably the family is best known for the eggs that fly off the shelves at Peabody Market, but the family’s full range of products are available for purchase directly from the farm store, online, at several grocery stores in the area, and at farmers markets.
Hens fly the coop, lay free-range eggs
Chickens still lay eggs the old-fashioned way at Val and Julie Klenda’s farm northwest of Lincolnville. They are not confined to cages. Hens lay in wall-hung nests lined with straw. They are allowed to roam outside every day.
Sausage house owners endure best, worst of times
Partners Jason Callahan and Jeremy Sheffler have weathered plenty of highs and lows in just nine months of operating Peabody Sausage House and Locker. A whirlwind kicked up by a pandemic bought bad and then good news — but the two have survived and have plans to expand.

OPINION

Winding, wandering wonderings
Did you ever wonder why . . . ? For decades, Andy Rooney made a mint coining that line for his sometimes thoughtful, sometimes mindless weekly diversions on “60 Minutes.” Did you ever wonder why, when you buy new box of cereal, the bag inside always seems one-quarter empty?
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
An unexpected gift
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
Peeved Patriots, Agreeing on limits, Grateful after fire

PEOPLE

A community that shops together, stays together
A food store in northern Marion County is still going strong nearly a decade after it opened thanks to committed volunteers. Tampa Trail Stop, a non-profit community-owned business that opened in August 2012, continues to thrive because of community support.
Agri Trails provides fuel
After being in a fuel desert for almost a year, Tampa and surrounding communities were pleased when Agri Trails Cooperative established a fuel station east of the elevator. Fuel is available 24 hours a day.
Ancestor's desire to stand out proves common for grandchild
Because of his ancestry, Phil Smith’s name probably should be Phil Peterson. Along with 15 or 16 other Peterson families, Phil’s Swedish great-grandfather settled in the Burdick community in the 1800s.
Senior center menus
MEMORIES:
10, 25, 40, 55, 70, 100, 140 years ago

SPORTS AND SCHOOL

Most teams advance at sub-state
Marion County teams tackle sub-state tournament play this week and many of them are off to a great start. Hillsboro High School’s girls team won a Central Kansas League title and the boy’s team defeated Ell-Saline to advance.
Marion wrestler is runner-up at state
For nearly a decade, one name has been synonymous when talking about the success of Marion High School wrestling. There have been others, like the Wildin twins, Brody Carroll, Adam Janzen, Jarret McLinden, and Charlie Nordquist, whoetched their names in Warrior history, placing at state.
School tech group to meet
Board members of Technology Excellence in Education Network, which provides online services for the Centre, Herington, Hillsboro, Marion and Peabody-Burns school districts, will meet at 6 p.m. March 10 at the Hillsboro school district offices, 416 S. Date St., Hillsboro. Information about the meeting’s agenda is available from TEEN director Lena Kleiner at (620) 877-0237.
Bowling league results

MORE…

HOVER OVER IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT

An investigator looks over a 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan involved in fiery head-on collision of a truck and a sport-utility vehicle that killed three and closed US-56 Friday afternoon.

Hillsboro High School's Matthew Potucek goes up for a dunk Thursday against Ell-Saline. The Trojans won 62-23.

Laying hens enjoy the sunshine at the entrance to a chicken barn on the Val and Julie Klenda farm northwest of Lincolnville. The Klendas' J&V Cackleberry eggs are sold at area food stores.

Ditch Diggers employees install a water pipe Tuesday on 1st St. a block south of Main St.

Marion County RECORD

By late spring, Marion will have a gathering place like no other. Michelle and Merle Flaming are creating a gathering place for family, friends, and friends-to-be in a former house at 626 E. Main St. that once housed an alpaca products store and a stone-oven pizza shop.

Volunteers and law officers are still searching for several greyhounds on the loose after they were released from a burning trailer on US-56 after a deadly crash. Sheriff’s deputies have gone out at least once a day, maybe twice, sheriff Robert Craft said.

A program designed to develop leaders in the county will rise from the ashes after county commissioners voted to once again get the ball rolling. Leadership Marion County previously operated from 1989 to 2011 and then from 2013 to 2014.

This week showed continued decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases in Marion County. Marion County health department in the last week reported eight new cases of COVID, a 33% decrease from the 12 new cases reported last week.

An effort to revamp Peabody’s City Park has raised $110,500, placing it within $69,500 of its $180,000 fund-raising goal. The deadline for the second phase of the project is April 30, less than two months away.

Two grass fires that occurred this past weekend had many county fire departments scrambling to battle the blazes. The fires were less than two miles, but only one day, apart.

A building on the corner of 4th and Main Sts. in Florence is getting a rough makeover, but owner Joel Hayes knows it has a tough history. The two-story structure had been a bar that partially burned in a fire.

Services for William Albert Brewer Jr., 75, who died Feb. 23 at Hillsboro Community Hospital, will be held at a later date. He was born Dec. 21, 1945, in Salina to William Albert and Rose Marie (Higgins) Brewer.

No services are planned for former Marion resident Connie Warneke, 75, who died Friday in McPherson. A memorial has been established with the Marion County Lake Memorial Fund.

IN MEMORIAM:

Area grocers say both regular customers and visitors from other towns are eager to buy products produced close to home. Catherine Weems, co-owner of Peabody Market, said one of the most popular local items at her store is Graze N Layz eggs.

Chickens still lay eggs the old-fashioned way at Val and Julie Klenda’s farm northwest of Lincolnville. They are not confined to cages. Hens lay in wall-hung nests lined with straw. They are allowed to roam outside every day.

Partners Jason Callahan and Jeremy Sheffler have weathered plenty of highs and lows in just nine months of operating Peabody Sausage House and Locker. A whirlwind kicked up by a pandemic bought bad and then good news — but the two have survived and have plans to expand.

Did you ever wonder why . . . ? For decades, Andy Rooney made a mint coining that line for his sometimes thoughtful, sometimes mindless weekly diversions on “60 Minutes.” Did you ever wonder why, when you buy new box of cereal, the bag inside always seems one-quarter empty?

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

A food store in northern Marion County is still going strong nearly a decade after it opened thanks to committed volunteers. Tampa Trail Stop, a non-profit community-owned business that opened in August 2012, continues to thrive because of community support.

After being in a fuel desert for almost a year, Tampa and surrounding communities were pleased when Agri Trails Cooperative established a fuel station east of the elevator. Fuel is available 24 hours a day.

Because of his ancestry, Phil Smith’s name probably should be Phil Peterson. Along with 15 or 16 other Peterson families, Phil’s Swedish great-grandfather settled in the Burdick community in the 1800s.

MEMORIES:

Marion County teams tackle sub-state tournament play this week and many of them are off to a great start. Hillsboro High School’s girls team won a Central Kansas League title and the boy’s team defeated Ell-Saline to advance.

For nearly a decade, one name has been synonymous when talking about the success of Marion High School wrestling. There have been others, like the Wildin twins, Brody Carroll, Adam Janzen, Jarret McLinden, and Charlie Nordquist, whoetched their names in Warrior history, placing at state.