Bent out of shape

18 downtown flagpoles damaged by storms

High winds during two recent thunderstorms mangled 18 flagpoles in downtown Marion, but the flags themselves appear to be OK.

Police gathered the flags and bent or broken metal poles and took them to city hall. They now are at the city shop, where they will be repaired or replaced by public works employees, city treasurer Becky Makovec said.

Banners that belong to Pride escaped damage.

“I went down and looked, and the banners looked fine. There supported by two brackets, top and bottom,” Pride committee member Margaret Wilson said.