HEADLINES

  • Train speed doubles

    In an effort to be more efficient, Union Pacific Railroad trains will almost double their speed through Marion, starting Friday. “Right now, the trains have to slow way down while they are in Marion,” said William R. Fitzgerald, a Union Pacific locomotive engineer. “If we maintain a 49 mph speed limit all the way down the line, we can save on the constant wear on our brakes.”

  • Trash or treasure?

    There comes a time in life when it is time to clean house, or office, or place of business. Marlin Buchholz of Marion Health Mart Pharmacy hit that threshold Jan. 9 and he decided to empty his storeroom of ancient and outdated equipment he no longer needed. “I haven’t thrown any computers away since the pharmacy got its first one in 1984 or 1985,” he said. “It seems like every two, three years, you’ve got to get a new one but I’m like a pack rat. I never throw anything away.”

  • Studying for the bee

    Three Marion 9-year-olds made a pact last week: to help each other prepare for the annual spelling competition. “I couldn’t have done it without my friends,” said Regina Noonan, winner of the Marion Elementary School spelling bee.

  • Congress abdicates responsibility

    Whether trying to stop wasteful spending or getting to the bottom of a scandal or controversy, Congress has the ability to check presidential power if it puts its foot down. But lately, Congress has been too reluctant to force the issues. That was part of the message Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Fowler) gave at a town hall meeting Jan. 9 in Hillsboro. He said that for most of the past century, presidents have issued executive orders in conflict with existing laws. It takes Congress challenging those unilateral decisions to rescind them, he said.

DEATHS

  • Michael J. Childs Jr.

    Memorial services for Michael J. Childs Jr., who died Jan. 2, will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at AGCO Communications Center, 420 W. Lincoln Blvd., Hesston. A memorial fund has been established for Caring Hands Humane Society.

  • Michael Laird Jackson

    Michael “Mike” Jackson, 48, of Cedar Point died Thursday at his home. He was born Sept. 24, 1964, in Emporia to Laird “Larry” and Marjorie McAuliffe Jackson. He was a 1983 graduate of Chase County High School. He received a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics from Kansas State University in 1988. He was a cattle rancher and feed salesman.

  • Dorothy J. Melcher

    Dorothy J. Melcher, 98, of Marion died Thursday at St. Luke Hospital in Marion. She was born Sept. 2, 1914, in Mount Hope to Harley and Emma (Wright) of Moreland. She was a 1932 graduate of Mount Hope High School. She married Wilbur Melcher on March 14, 1936.

  • Carol Yvonne (Tambke) Schmidt

    Born on Oct. 15, 1940, in Deshler, Neb., to Arnold and Eula (Hill) Tambke, Carol Yvonne (Tambke) Schmidt passed away in her home in Peabody, Kan., on Jan. 8, 2013, surrounded by family. She was baptized on
    Nov. 3, 1940, and confirmed in the Christian faith on April 11, 1954, at Grace Lutheran Church in Hebron, Neb.

DOCKET

FARM

  • Raising Watusi cattle

    The big horns are attractive and the multicolored hides are interesting, but Bryce Woelk of rural Hillsboro said Watusi were his cattle of choice because of calving ease and survivability. “The calves are born very small,” Woelk said. “It’s one of the main reasons I like the breed — we seldom have any trouble calving.”

  • Farmer deals with drought

    Terrance Vinduska of Marion wakes up each morning, eager to tend to his crops — even in a drought. “I couldn’t be in this business if I wasn’t optimistic by nature,” he said. “I won’t pull a cover over my head and say that there is nothing I can do about the hot and dry weather. There’s plenty I can do to keep my plants alive.”

  • 4-H'ers win national awards

    The National Western Stock Show in Denver, Colo. is a big deal to livestock breeders, agriculture industry leaders, and now to four Marion County 4-H club members. This past weekend, 24 states and Canada sent top qualifying 4-H livestock judging teams to the national livestock judging contest, part of the national stock show.

  • Microloans to help farmers

  • New seed-cleaning plant

    Agri Producers Inc. is building a new seed-cleaning plant in Lincolnville. It will replace an aging plant at the Herington facility. According to Perry Gutsch, manager of the Lincolnville elevator, the plant will have a seed-treatment component. The facility is expected to be completed in time this spring to treat bean seed. The treatment protects against damage from certain plant diseases and insects.

GOVERNMENT

  • Economic director dispute

    There has been a lot of disagreement with what Marion wants from an economic development director. As a member of Marion Economic Development Incorporated and one of the biggest business owners in town, Greg Carlson has had some input on the search. He wants an enthusiastic director who can simultaneously bring in a business that employees 10 to 20 people, but can also keep existing businesses in town.

  • Photography costs county $119K

    Marion County will spend $119,082 for a new aerial photography system that the service providers say will be out of date in three years. For rural counties, Pictometry International Corp. recommends updating aerial photography every three years to reflect construction and demolition completed in the interim. However, County Commission Chairman Randy Dallke said he did not think the county would have enough change to justify updating it more often than every five years.

  • No more stolen toilet paper

    Theft of toilet tissue from Tampa’s public restroom on Main Street should no longer be a problem after city council members decided to acquire a lockable dispenser. They made the decision Jan. 7 at a special meeting. The dispenser will be installed as soon as it arrives. In a related action, the council awarded Phyllis and Rod Mueller, who are in charge of the senior center and the public restrooms, a $100 Christmas bonus.

OPINION

  • Principles vs. politics

    All too often, we see elected officials choose political expediency over sticking to their principles. So, as far as that goes, it has been refreshing to see Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Fowler) continue to stand up for spending cuts and against tax hikes and executive power. However, by being vocal, Huelskamp has cost himself — and by extension, the 1st District — a lot of influence in the halls of power. As a freshman representative, Huelskamp served on the House of Representatives committees on the budget, agriculture, and veterans’ affairs. The budget committee is tremendously important for the entire country, and the 1st District is one of the most agricultural congressional districts. He butted heads with House Republican leadership enough that Speaker John Boehner told him to keep quiet or lose committee memberships, Huelskamp recently told a town hall in Hillsboro. It came to a head in December, when Huelskamp did lose his seats on the budget and ag committees. In their place, he was assigned to the small business committee.

  • A foolish proposal

    Marion County Commission on Monday discussed doing something that they should find out pretty quickly is illegal. Commissioner Dan Holub proposed publishing only summaries of ordinances in the county’s official newspaper for legal publications — the Marion County Record — and posting full text on the county website, which would theoretically save the county money. But in Kansas, only cities have the authority to publish ordinance summaries, and they can only do so under specific circumstances. Even then, it isn’t a particularly good idea, as the City of Marion may find out if anyone challenges the zoning regulations revised in June.

  • No hardware store

    A couple weeks ago the cable on the north side of our garage door snapped after my dad and I had left the house. Dani heard a loud bang come from the garage as the spring had been extended when the cable snapped. Fortunately, the cable snapping was the only damage that done. I grew up in a house where, for the most part, if something was broken or needed maintained we called a professional to come and fix it or took it to a professional to maintain it. So growing up I didn’t learn how to change the oil on my truck, I learned how to drive it to Fletcher’s Auto Repair and then pick it up later in the day.

  • ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

    A very private language
  • LETTERS:

    Reader doubtful about fracking

OTHER NEWS

  • Commodities available

    U.S. Department of Agriculture commodities arrived at Marion County senior centers on Thursday. Each site will distribute them according to their own schedule and may not distribute on the same day. Interested families should contact their local senior center to find out about distribution. Marion Senior Center began distributing commodities on Friday. Other days of distribution will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Food is available at Main Street Ministries in Hillsboro. Peabody Senior Center distributed food on Friday and is open until 12:30 p.m. on weekdays.

  • Alpha Omega meets

    Fifteen members of The Alpha Omega Chapter of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International and two guests met Jan. 5 at Marion Elementary School. The meeting was led by President Jan Terman. Hostesses were Mary Griffith and Terry Klenda.

  • Hymn sing on Saturday

    A monthly community hymn sing will begin at 7 p.m. Sunday at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church, 300 Prairie Pointe, Hillsboro. The gathering will include singing, scripture reading, and prayer. Those attending will have the opportunity to select favorite hymns. Steve Vincent will lead the hymn sing. The theme will be “Be Careful to Whom You Listen.” Paul Epp will be the trumpet soloist.

  • Joint chamber dinner

    The Marion and Hillsboro joint Chamber of Commerce Annual dinner is 6:15 p.m. Monday in the Marion Community Center Ballroom, 203 N. 3rd St. Dinner will be served at 6:45 p.m. The cost of the event is $20.

  • Fewer strokes for Marion

    Dr. Don Hodson donned his stethoscope last Wednesday with one mission: to reduce the number of stroke patients in Marion. “Awareness is key,” the Marion physician said. “Almost everyone is scared of having a stroke. It’s one of the most prominent concerns people have — and it’s preventable.”

PEOPLE

SCHOOL

  • School coffee shop approved

    Marion High School may have its own student-run coffee shop by spring break. USD 408 Board of Education approved spending $4,850 for construction of the coffee shop in the high school library. The school’s construction class will do the construction. Students Morgan Wheeler and Amanda Stuchlik said the work should be done, and the shop running, by spring break.

  • Teaching is about relationships

    Marion High School math and science teacher Gary Stuchlik didn’t come from a family full of teachers like so many people in education did. Instead, he got his start in teaching by tutoring his fellow students in math and science while he was an undergraduate student at Kansas State University. That along with his enjoyment of math and science and his desire to live in a small community — there aren’t many mathematician or scientist jobs in rural Kansas — combined to make teaching a good fit for him.

  • Bowl team breaks record

    The Marion High School scholars’ bowl team posted a record of 5-2 in pool play to advance to the round-robin finals, where they posted an 0-3 record to capture the fourth-place medals at the Council Grove Invitational. In pool play, Marion defeated Southeast of Saline, 50-45, Mission Valley, 30-20, West Franklin, 40-20, Smoky Valley, 70-50, and Hillsboro, 60-30.

  • County students make honor roll

    Junior Matthew Richards of Goessel, junior Karis Janzen of Hillsboro, and senior Ashley Evans of Marion were recognized as McPherson College honor roll students. Senior Tiffany Rooker of Hillsboro was named an honorable mention on the honor roll. To qualify for honor roll, students must be a full-time student and earn a grade-point average of 3.55 or higher during the previous term. Honorable mention requires a GPA between 3.25 and 3.54.

SPORTS

  • Comeback falls short

    The Marion High School girls’ basketball team fell behind by 11 points against White City in the Cougar Classic at Centre, but came back to tie the game in the fourth quarter. After the big comeback though, White City pulled away to win, 43-33. Marion trailed 10-6 at the end of the first quarter and 24-16 at halftime. White City extended its lead to 27-16 early in the third quarter before Marion began its comeback.

  • Warriors spread wealth

    The Marion Warriors boys’ basketball team made lots of extra passes to get open looks in their 76-28 victory over Elyria Christian on Tuesday, but the final three players to score made their own shots. Grif Case caught the ball on right wing and slipped through the defense on the baseline to score, Tim Knolla got a steal and took it all the way for a layup, and with about 10 seconds left in the game, Morgan Wheeler used head fakes and drop steps to score on the low block.

  • Wrestlers win big

    Every Marion High School wrestler who competed Friday and Saturday in the Halstead Invitational advanced to the medal rounds and placed in the top six. That was good enough for Marion to place second out of 21 teams in the invitational, despite having three open weight classes.

  • Cougars are top seed

    The Lady Cougars defeated Hope Friday, 63-48. The victory improved their record to 7-3 overall as they headed into the Cougar Classic this week as the top seed.

  • Centre boys improve record

    The Centre Cougars walked away Friday with a satisfying 60-45 victory over the Hope Lions at home. The victory boosted their record to 5-5 overall. Centre led the entire game, but the Lions kept it close for much of the way. Centre led, 11-10, after one quarter and 25-21 at halftime.

MORE…

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