BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
Skiing, swimming, and wading continue to be banned at Marion Reservoir because of toxic blue-green algae. Kansas Department of Health and Environment renewed its warning Thursday on the basis of tests performed Monday.
Marion’s city administrator attempted Monday to single-handedly end squabbling over a new radio tower, but other city officials are not sure the matter has been settled. County officials celebrated the victory administrator Doug Kjellin handed to them by approving the tower, but Marion’s mayor said Kjellin still needs to bring the action before Marion City Council
Despite tough new state laws mandating jail time or lengthy community service, less than half of Marion County drunken driving cases in the first half of this year resulted in jail time. The 8th Judicial District Court in the county completed nine cases of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol from January through June.
Father Darin May aspires to holiness, to be a vessel for God’s grace and reach every soul in Marion County. “We’re all called to be saints,” May said. “We’re all called to holiness.”
The only sweat that broke out Saturday on the brow of new groom Michael Woelk of Goessel came as he set up chairs in near 100-degree temperatures for an outdoor wedding at Marion County Park and Lake. “The night we come out here it was a little more cloudy than this, around sunset, and it looked nice, really beautiful scenery,” Woelk said.
Chingawassa Days Committee Chairman Mike Powers told Marion Kiwanis members that several events at the 2012 festival were surprisingly popular. On June 2 he was at the festival in Central Park and there weren’t many people in the north half of the park where many of the events are. He was disappointed by the attendance until he turned around and saw the south end of the park filled with people participating in three-on-three basketball, arm wrestling, tug of war, and other events.
Imogene (Johnson) Rimbey, 78, died Friday in Peabody. She was born Nov. 13, 1933, in Peabody to Barcley and Minnie (Wunderlick) Johnson. She was preceded in death by her husband, Harold Rimbey; her parents; a son, Gerald Eugene Rimbey; and a brother, Richard Johnson.
One of the great advantages of digital photography over film is that digital photographers don’t have to worry about the expense of film limiting how many pictures they can take. Ethan and Logan Oborny of rural Durham both make use of that advantage all the time. “They’ll take at least 200 pictures to get five good ones,” their mother, Kim Oborny, said.
Getting ready for next week’s Marion County Fair is not a big deal for Geis sisters Lauren and Lisa of Durham. That is because they have been working with their horses, dogs, cattle, sheep, and pigs all year long already. But there is something special about the fair that they look forward to with pleasure. “Going to the Marion County Fair is like having a big reunion with all our friends,” Lauren Geis, 17, said. “We get to hang out all week, get up early, go to bed late, have water fights with our friends, and just a lot of fun.”
The 2012 Marion County Fair July 25 through 28 in Hillsboro will be the 82nd annual county fair. Some events will be before the fair. Saturday
- Agriculture Challenge of Champions, 2 p.m. at the foods building to recognize outstanding 4-H and FFA agriculture and livestock-oriented youth. Areas of emphasis in three age divisions will be a written test about agriculture and the livestock industry, farm equipment and management, identification of livestock equipment, breeds of livestock, cuts of meat, common crops, common weeds, agronomic items, concentrate and roughage, tractor parts, and possibly an interview on current agriculture topics.
- Women’s Ranch Rodeo, 7 p.m. July 25
- Parade, 6:30 p.m. on Main Street, Hillsboro. The theme is “At the Hop.” There is no charge for entries. Entry forms are available online at http://sites.google.com/site/marioncountyksfairassociation/.
- “At the Hop” free dance party, 9 to 11 p.m. in the fair pavilion, organized by Goessel Goal Getters 4-H Club. The theme will be a 1950s sock hop dance.
- Kids pedal tractor pull for ages 4 to 12, 7 p.m. between the 4-H and foods buildings. Registration starts at 6 p.m. Contestants in the top three for their age group will be eligible to compete at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson.
- KRAFT Rodeo Company rodeo and mutton busting, 8 p.m. Local entries are welcome and should call (620) 200-4081. Events include barrel racing, saddle bronc, mutton busting, bull riding, steer wrestling, and others.
- Baking contest, 9 to 11 a.m. Age divisions are adult (18 and older) and junior (10 to 17). The adult division will be dinner rolls, and the junior division will be fruit muffins. Entries must be made from scratch with the sponsoring flour purchased from a grocery store in Marion County, include the bag of flour and a detailed recipe with the entrant’s information. Additional rules including the required flour are available by contacting the Marion County Fair office at (620) 381-0109 or mncofairmanager@yahoo.com. July 26
- KRAFT Rodeo Company rodeo and mutton busting, 8 p.m. Local entries are welcome and should call (620) 200-4081. Events include barrel racing, saddle bronc, mutton busting, bull riding, steer wrestling, and others. July 27
- Truck and Antique Tractor Pull, 7 p.m. in the fair arena. Registration begins at 5 p.m. with a drivers’ meeting at 6:45 p.m. Entrants should contact Myron Regier at (620) 367-8277. July 28
- Demolition derby, 7 p.m. Preregistration is due Monday, and entry forms are available at Arlie’s Paint, Body, & Glass in Marion, NAPA/Marion Auto, Rod’s Tire in Hillsboro, Webster’s Auto in Marion, or by calling (620) 381-0109.
The Kansas Department of Transportation has decided what it wants to do about the intersection of U.S. 56, U.S. 77, and K-150 — put in a roundabout. KDOT officials said they could have the roundabout completed in two years. They say they have the funding for the project and the authority to start construction.
A group of residents led by Colleen Hajek complained to Marion County Commission on Monday that they were not being treated fairly by Union Pacific Railroad. Union Pacific plans to begin working on a parallel train track near 180th and Remington roads by September. Part of that plan is closing crossings at 150th and 140th Roads and making 180th and Remington the main crossing point in the area.
The board of directors of Senior Citizens of Marion County Inc. voted June 15 to request $6,500 in the 2013 county budget. Burns Senior Center reported on a trip to a Wichita synagogue.
The North Central Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging held its monthly meeting Tuesday in Marion. Marion is served as one of 18 counties under the wing of the agency. The main agenda item at the meeting was the agency’s budget. Agency Director Julie Govert Walter spoke to representatives from each county about a potential cut in the Older American’s Act. The budget for the agency was set at over $3.2 million for 2013, but Walter said the organization could not make up a cut of 8.4 percent that has been proposed in Congress. The focus for the agency would be to charge centers and counties more for services, which could affect the lives of local seniors with higher food prices.
If you’re looking for the latest tirade about bloated government frittering away taxpayers’ money, you’ve come to the wrong editorial. We hate government waste as much as tea party activists, but this week’s sermon won’t win friends and influence people among the Sarah Palin (or Sam Brownback) for President Club:
In our spam folder today was a request — forwarded via the e-mail system of a widely used government bean-counter and originating from the e-mail system of a regional economic development agency — urging us to join a huge new movement: an Internet chain letter asking everyone who receives it to pray for rain. Ignore whether government contractors and government agencies should be using official e-mail accounts to make God out to be a judge from “American Idol,” forced to change His plan because of the sheer number of people arguing for theirs. We do need rain, and at least someone is trying to do something about it.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
Things are always changingLETTERS:
Leaders not meeting expectations,
Disappointed in great news
Marion Kiwanis Club heard several presentations in June. On June 5, members heard reports about Chingawassa Days. Many club members serve on the Chingawassa Days committee, and the club served a pancake and sausage breakfast at the event.
Marion will be the site of the Kansas-Oklahoma Arkansas River Compact Commission’s 48th annual meeting July 25. The board, with three members from each state appointed by their respective governors, is concerned with water quality and quantity in the Arkansas River basin. The Cottonwood River empties into the Neosho River, which then empties into the Arkansas River in Oklahoma.
Because of drought conditions, U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved emergency haying and grazing of land in the Conservation Reserve Program in 91 counties, including Marion and all the surrounding counties. Producers first must request permission from the local Farm Service Agency. Acres subject to emergency haying or grazing will have a 10 percent reduction in the rental payment for 2012.
Mothers of Preschoolers of Marion’s fourth annual Run For Your Momma races will be Aug. 11 at Marion County Park and Lake. A half marathon and half marathon relay will start simultaneously at 6:30 a.m. A 5-kilometer fun run/walk will start at 8 a.m. A post-race breakfast also will start at 8 a.m. Relay teams in the half marathon will be limited to two runners, each running half the race.
“Amazing Desert Journey” will be the theme of Bible school from 9 to 11:30 a.m. July 30 through Aug. 3 at Our Savior Lutheran Church, 320 S. Cedar St., Marion. Activities, memory verses, songs, and daily Bible stories for children 4 years old through sixth grade will be offered. For more information, call (620) 382-2432 or 382-2564.
July and August are prime time for preserving garden-fresh produce. Marion City Library recommends several how-to books on canning, freezing, and new recipes: “Preserve It,” by Dorling Kindersley; “Preserving the Fruits of the Earth,” by Stanley Schuler; “The Complete Freezer Cookbook,” by Madeline Fraser; “Canning and Preserving,” by Sunset; “Preserving,” by The Good Cook; and “The Complete Book of Home Preserving,” by Ann Seranne.
Centre High School graduate Scott Wituk was recently selected as a member of the He is a research and adjunct psychology professor at Wichita State University and director of WSU’s Center for Community Support and Research. He has worked with the center for almost 20 years and been director for two years.
Classes have been scheduled to allow older drivers to improve their skills. Classes in Marion will be Aug. 6 and 7 at Marion Elementary School library, 1400 E. Lawrence St. Call (620) 382-2117 or (620) 947-3453 to register. Cost is $14, with a $9 discount for those who work in a school or teach. Some insurers offer discounts for those who complete the class. The classes are offered by AARP.
Descendents of David and Mollie Herbel had a reunion Friday through Sunday. Fifty-two family members attended the reunion:
The 50th reunion of the William and Maggie Westlake Summervill family was July 8 at Marion Community Center. Forty-one relatives attended: John and Barbara Summervill, Rodney Summervill, Mick and Marge Summervill, Tim and Amy Summervill and Shelby, Jeanne Maki, Maxine Wambsganss, Tilda Wambsganss, Nancy Summervill, Marc and Pam Summervill, Glen and Lea Summervill, Jack and Peggy Summerville, John and Tory Jost and Collin, Anna, and Ethan;
BIRTH:
Luke IdlemanCORRESPONDENTS:
Marion Senior Center,
TampaMEMORIES:
10,
25,
35,
50,
60,
100,
125 years ago
University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little was listening Friday for a message she says she hopes to hear every time she visits Kansas communities like Marion. “I want to hear that ‘We know the University of Kansas is interested in our students,’” Gray-Little said. The chancellor discovered that wasn’t always the case after arriving at KU three years ago from North Carolina.
Teachers at Centre USD 397 will receive a 3 percent raise for the 2012-13 school year. Base salary has been increased $970 to $33,285. Classified personnel also will receive a 3 percent raise. Base wage will be set at $9 per hour. Bus drivers will receive $10 per hour for all time spent on activity trips. Superintendent Jerri Kemble’s salary will increase 3 percent, from $96,000 to $98,880. In the past year, the cost of living increased 1.7 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. USD 397 Board of Education approved the raises July 9.
Norman Craft of Hillsboro already knew many Kansas seniors are losing their hunting and fishing license exemptions in January, and the 77-year-old deer hunter knew what he thought about it. “I don’t approve of it,” Craft said.
For 30 years, Paul Marsh of rural Hillsboro worked as an entomologist at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington D.C., traveling the world in search of strange, rare, and unidentified insects. His wife, Jennie Marsh, who grew up in the Hillsboro area, also worked in Washington as an encoding/decoding specialist for the FBI. “When I left here after a year at Tabor College, it was expected to get married and have a baby right away, but I wanted to have a career,” Jennie Marsh said. “I felt I should have some adventures in my life, so I did.”
When Dwight and Jane Gooding of Marion retired in 2008, they knew they wanted to travel around the country. So for their first trip, they went to North Carolina, up the east coast, and into Canada before returning home. “I enjoy seeing the countryside, the scenery that’s out there,” Dwight said.