HEADLINES

  • City approves 65-year term for bonds

    Marion City Council approved increasing the term of industrial revenue bonds from 30 to 65 years for construction of duplexes and remodeling September Apartments by Homestead Affordable Housing. The motion passed in a 3-1 vote at a special council meeting Thursday with Jerry Kline voting no and Todd Heitschmidt abstaining because of his position as president at Marion’s branch of Central National Bank.

  • Sept. Apartments unlivable?

    At last week’s Marion City Council meeting, economic Development Director Roger Holter said 10 of the September Apartments were uninhabitable. Apartment complex manager Wendy Buchanan disagrees in no uncertain terms.

  • Rain just keeps coming

    Rainfall in August is approaching record levels for Marion County, less than halfway through the month. Rainfall at the Marion Reservoir dam has been 6.88 inches through 8 a.m. Monday. The record for all of August was 8.73 inches in 1996. The average rainfall for August is 3.72 inches. Records only go back to 1966.

  • High water no obstacle to paddleboat fun

    Carl Davis and his son, Trey, won first place in paddleboat races Saturday at Marion County Park and Lake, but not without a little controversy. “It wasn’t a fair win,” said Drew Davis, Carl’s daughter. “At the starting line he was grabbing onto our boat, then pulls us backward and shoots off of our boat.”

  • Teachers prepare classrooms for students

    This may be Kelsey Metro’s first year teaching at Marion Middle School, but she is no stranger to room set up. “This is my sixth year teaching,” she said. “It usually takes a week or so to get rooms set up, but this year it took longer because it was a new room to me.”

  • Scout attends National Jamboree

    Riley Hake of Marion joined Boy Scouts Troop 105 of Osborne at the 2013 National Boy Scout Jamboree in July at Summit Bechtel Reserve, West Virginia. Before arriving at the jamboree, the group took a detour to New York and Washington, D.C., seeing the Statue of Liberty, Sept. 11 Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Washington Monument, Arlington National Cemetery, and several museums.

  • Speed sign gets results

    Marion police are pleased with the results from an electronic sign that displays the speeds of westbound drivers on Main St. by Central Park. “It’s a blessing,” Sgt. Brad Cady said Monday. “I love it.”

  • School board renews revitalization agreement with city

    Marion school board approved renewing its participation in the city’s downtown revitalization tax rebate program Monday by a 5-2 vote. Jana Nordquist and Sarah Cope voted against it. Nordquist, in her first year on the board, said she didn’t know enough about the program to vote in favor of it.

  • Florence bridge needs immediate attention

    County residents using the connecting bridge at Alfalfa Road over the Cottonwood River will soon need a detour when traveling to U.S. 50. A fracture-critical inspection of the 126-foot bridge, located about two miles east and a half-mile south of Florence, found significant losses to bearings of concrete pedestals due to spalling.

  • CORRECTION:

    Charity dog wash is Saturday

DEATHS

  • Joyce Carlson

    Joyce Leland Carlson, 89, a lifelong resident of the Burdick and Lincolnville area, died Monday at Parkside Homes, Hillsboro. He was born Oct. 14, 1923, southwest of Burdick to Oscar P. and Anna Marie (Anderson) Carlson.

  • Anthony Radke

    Anthony James Radke, 33, of Ramona died Saturday south of Hope as a result of an accident. He was born April 24, 1980, in Las Vegas, Nev. He was a finish carpenter for J.D. Construction, working at Fort Riley, and a member of Nemesis M.C. at Woodbine.

  • Michael Wheeler

    Former Marion resident Michael David Wheeler, 44, died July 31. He was born April 29, 1969, in Wichita, and was adopted by David and Charla Wheeler 16 days later. He graduated from Marion High School in 1987. He served in the Kansas Air National Guard at McConnell Air Base in Wichita before completing his education at Friends University.

  • IN MEMORIAM:

    John Faul, Norma Raccuglia, Bruce Smith

DOCKET

FARM

  • Crops ready for dry weather to return

    Favorable rainfall that began in mid-July has begun to overstay its welcome by early August. Local farmers have seen their crops benefit from the early rain, but worry excess water could drown the plants.

  • Mosquitoes are more than annoying for livestock

    The 8-plus inches of rain that has fallen across the county since July has produced more than full ponds. It has also created breeding grounds for mosquitoes. These mosquitoes can carry the West Nile virus that can be transmitted to cattle and horses, especially during late summer and early fall, said Rebecca Erwin, veterinarian with Animal Health Center of Marion County.

  • Range school deadline nears

    Ranchers, landowners, and students can learn about creating range wealth through soil health Tuesday through Aug. 22 at the Tallgrass Range School at Elmdale’s Camp Wood YMCA. The school costs $300 per person, covering materials, on-site lodging, meals, and other related costs.

  • Reserve program restores threatened ecosystems

    Landowners looking for alternatives for areas losing crops to high waters can receive help restoring those areas through the Wetlands Reserve Program. “In Kansas, more than 24,000 acres have been restored or are in the process of being restored under the Wetlands Reserve Program,” Natural Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Daniel Meyerhoff said.

  • Farmers chill out

    Muddy fields and water logged pastures are keeping farmers from normal activities, but some Marion County farmers and ranchers are finding other ways to spend their time. Jeanie Bartel and her husband, Steve, own a family farm near Lehigh. She said Steve was doing maintenance on equipment, unplugging ditches, and checking crop conditions.

  • Rain can cause problems for cattle

    The much-needed moisture for crops can become a problem for cattle and other split-hoofed livestock. With rain-soaked ground, livestock sometimes cannot find dry ground, especially if they are in lots. This can cause foot rot and other hoof infections to rise. Cade Moses, veterinarian with Spur Ridge Vet Hospital, said he has not seen an outbreak of water related illnesses, but he has seen some.

  • A new face at PrairieLand

    PrairieLand Partners John Deere dealership in Marion has a new store manager, Mitch Guetterman. Guetterman transferred from PrairieLand of Wichita where he worked for three years. He said this is a substantial promotion for him.

SCHOOL

  • New faces join Centre staff

    Three new teachers and a new counselor have joined the Centre staff. Jay O’Brien is a new agriculture education teacher at Centre High School. This is his first regular teaching position after being a student teacher during the 2013 spring semester at Scott City. He will teach shop classes, including welding and woods, and will teach a soil science class.

  • Debate, cross-country reinstated at Centre

    At least seven students and several parents attended the Centre board of education meeting Monday to show support for re-establishing debate and cross-country teams. After the board spent time in executive session to discuss non-elected personnel, they approved a supplemental duty for Cindy Riedel as cross-country coach for the 2013 season. They stipulated participation of at least four students.

  • Softball tournament to be a fundraiser

    There will be a coed softball tournament at 10 a.m. Saturday in Marion. Participants must be at least 16 years of age but everyone is welcome to watch. Each team should have 10 players. The fee is $100 per team or $10 per person. All proceeds go to Relay for Life. Registration is from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

  • School employees recognized

    At the first in-service of the school year, USD 408 recognized teachers and staff members for of years of service. 10 years: Vickie Box, JoAnn Helm, Pam Jones, and Woody Crawshaw.

  • Aaron Hett wins club championship

    Aaron Hett won the Marion Country Club championship Aug. 3 with a score of 69, 3 under par. The second round of the championship was rained out Aug. 4. In the women’s division, Judy Noller and Lindsay Hett tied for the championship with a score of 80. It is Noller’s 10th consecutive championship and Hett’s first.

OPINION

  • Schooling the city council

    Three days after the disheartening appearance of yet more chasms inflicting the often-fractured Marion City Council, we were pleased to witness first-hand Thursday evening an outstanding example of civic leadership by Mayor Mary Olson. Yes, the mayor can at times seem a bit tedious — even schoolmarmish, some might say. But her painstaking, hour-long public review of seemingly every detail of a highly complicated legal document necessary to secure a new private housing complex had a point.

  • Escaping the bonds of politics

    Time was, all government bodies operated the way Marion does, with elected officials doing more than mainly rubberstamping the recommendations of paid professional staff. Nowadays, in most school districts and many cities, such as Hillsboro, elected officials heavily rely on the expertise of superintendents and city managers whose trustworthiness and understanding of complex issues has been proved by previous experience, in which they handled similar jobs for similar out-of-town entities. What makes Marion unusual is that its professional staff — however dedicated and hard-working the individuals holding those positions might be — has no track record beyond what it has done locally. And some of those experiences have not been positive. The more the staff, with good intentions, tries to act like outside professionals and administratively resolve issues before they reach elected officials, the less trust the staff engenders with those officials and the people who elect them.

  • Parting shots from a part-timer

    Eleven weeks of avoiding rain by sitting inside, watching my cat snuggle up to my mother’s empty shoes, then suddenly toss them in the air, kill them, and stuff their toes with liberated rubber bands and twist ties is about all the fun this part-time publisher, full-time professor can take. Having waded through my editorial ramblings like so much more floodwater this summer, you’re probably thinking I finally have run out of things to say. But like anyone who loves his hometown enough to work there for free (no salary, no dividends) every summer is never at a loss for ideas:

  • Stay safe-stay out of floodwaters

    On my way to Hillsboro Cove to get pictures of flooded campsites on Monday, I saw water running over 190th Road just west of Nighthawk Road, so I stopped to get some pictures. I was greeted by a pair of dogs, one black, and one white and tan. While getting pictures, I noticed the black dog swimming in the flooded ditch. Before I knew it — and probably before the dog knew it, too — it was caught by a current pulling it toward the culvert. Before I could react, the dog disappeared underwater. My heart leaped into my throat. There wasn’t anything I could do except turn to watch where the culvert came out downhill. I was so relieved when I saw the dog pop out of the water on the other side of the road, apparently none the worse for wear, although thoroughly soaked.

  • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

    Be safe in new school year
  • ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

    The Climate Swap

PEOPLE

  • Family celebrates master's degree

    Friends and family gathered July 14 in Wichita to celebrate the masters in special education that Corrine Baliel of Cheney received from the University of Kansas Overland Park campus. Baliel’s parents are Tiffany Harper of Cheney and Dave Baliel of Marion. Her grandparents are Sam Johnson of Marion, Paula Edwards of Halstead, and Phyllis and Claude Landis of Marion.

  • Heller-Higgins family reunion was July 28

    The 83rd Heller-Higgins family reunion was July 28 at the Marion County Lake hall. Sixty-two attendees represented four generations of the descendants of Daniel and Sara (Heller) Higgins. The family visited during a potluck dinner.

  • Gertrude Ray to turn 90

    Gertrude Ray will celebrate her 90th birthday with family and friends Aug. 25 at the Historic Elgin Hotel in Marion. She moved to Marion 28 years ago. She and her late husband were farmers in Greenwood County.

  • Pastor signs at senior center

    Pastor Sue Talbot, who serves Valley United Methodist Church, sang for patrons Aug. 7. Egg cartons and grocery coupons are still being accepted for specific projects.

  • Kiwanis receives belated award

    Marion Kiwanis recently received a Distinguished Club Award from Kiwanis International for the 2011-12 club year. At a meeting Tuesday, club member Al Ash presented the award which had been sent to him. Club members signed a get-well card for Jim Crofoot, who is recovering from back surgery.

  • Bina working on 8th Kapaun poem

    Harriet Bina of rural Marion doesn’t consider her poetry very refined. She has always enjoyed literature, but she didn’t pay much attention to grammar lessons, and she says her vocabulary isn’t as expansive as other poets’. “I kind of wish I’d paid a little closer attention in English class,” she said.

  • COOKING WITH:

    Eugene Christensen shares ice cream recipe
  • MEMORIES:

    10, 25, 35, 50, 60, 100, 125 years ago

MORE…

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