HEADLINES

  • Filmmaker sets sights on putting Pilsen and Kapaun on big screen

    When Father Emil Kapaun was deployed to Korea, he probably wasn’t thinking his actions might end up on the big screen, but that is exactly what one California screenwriter is hoping to accomplish. John Stansifer has been writing scripts for 20 years. He said he never has he seen a story more perfect to be made into a blockbuster hit than that of Father Kapaun.

  • Roundabout project to divert traffic onto Main St.

    Main St. will see an increase of traffic for a few weeks during the summer of 2015. The U.S. 56/77 and K-150 roundabout scheduled to be constructed next summer will require traffic to be diverted through town on K-256.

  • Winds delay clearing roads, angering drivers

    Snow removal crews across Marion County mobilized Sunday only to find their efforts thwarted by Mother Nature. Bud Druse, road supervisor for Marion County Road and Bridge said his crews mobilized around 5 a.m. Sunday to remove 1 to 3 inches of powdery snow from county roads only to find 20 to 30 mph wind gusts making their job impossible.

  • Cheaper ethanol is evaporating

    The option of using unleaded gasoline without ethanol or “unleaded plus” with ethanol are going away as area refineries are being forced by federal law to make more blended fuel. Unleaded plus, a blended fuel with 10 percent ethanol, used to have an octane of 89 and was cheaper by 5 or 10 cents. Now, the bulk of blended fuel has an octane of 87, and unblended is almost non-existent.

  • Hacked Facebook posts are making few friends

    Leah Ann Ulmer and Racheal Dvorak are two of millions of Facebook users who have been plagued by spam that wrongly proclaims to their friends that they had quit their jobs. “I am really nervous,” the fraudulent posts say. “I’m about to quit my job on Monday after 12,376 days of putting up with my childish boss. I think it’s time. I really have no clue why I’m workin’ there anymore when I’ve been generating about $300 every day for the last six months working from home. Thank God I came across this webpage.”

  • Interest in new hardware store astounds owner

    Overwhelmed, surprised, and excited are just a few words future Marion Ace Hardware owner Kent Carmichael of Ulysses used to describe the response to his store’s preparations to open in the former Seacat building off U.S. 56. According to City Administrator Roger Holter, dozens of people from all across the state have inquired about employment at the new store. An initial printing of 25 applications were gone by Thursday night.

  • Police bust 7 at party

    Several minors had their New Year’s party plans interrupted when Marion police and sheriff’s deputies responded around 11 p.m. at the 300 block of S. Cedar St. At the scene, police arrested six juveniles on suspicion of minor in consumption and took them to juvenile intake in Junction City. An 18-year-old was cited on suspicion of being a minor in consumption of alcohol and released to parents.

OTHER HEADLINES

  • Elvis shakes up senior center

    Elvis impersonator Marc Baker gave a high-spirited performance featuring songs from “the King of Rock and Roll” for a small but enthusiastic crowd at 7 p.m. Friday at Marion Senior Center. Baker’s interest in Elvis sparked while he was in high school. In the past, when he was younger, he normally dressed as “’50s Elvis”.

  • Commodities available throughout the county

    Free food commodities will be distributed throughout Marion County this week. Commodities are available to persons meeting income guidelines and family size.

  • New employee happy to return home

    It has been more than 25 years since Jane Johnson, Hoch Publishing’s newest employee, lived in Marion. Johnson, a 1979 Marion High School graduate, was drawn to the job because she could spend more time with her mother.

  • Alpaca is unusual New Year's first baby

    He was a big baby, weighing around 14 to 16 pounds and standing around 3 feet tall, and not your usual New Year’s first baby. Owner Cristi Soyez said it is usual for alpacas to give birth early in the morning, so she estimates the time of delivery at sometime just after midnight Jan. 1. Her daughter found him and his mother out in a snowy pasture and put the pair in the family’s barn, where Soyez and her husband, Frank, found them a short time later.

  • Pool back up and running

    USD 408 Sports and Aquatic Center’s pool is back up and running after a seal in a pump gave out. Superintendent Lee Leiker said pool director Heather Calhoun was working on warming the pool. “While the pool was down, it dropped down to around 60 degrees,” Leiker said. “Thursday it was still too cold to swim in.”

  • Sales tax increase one-time anomaly

    Sales tax numbers within the county rose from $763,936 in 2013 compared to $653,202 in 2012, but the increase may be more of an outlier than a trend. In January 2013, the county received a one-time partial payment from the sales tax delivered for a pipeline built in 2010.

  • Teachers are honored with soup lunch

    USD 408 teachers received a warm welcome back after the holiday break Thursday with a soup lunch provided by Valley United Methodist Church. Smells of four kinds of soup—chicken barley, cheesy potato, potato vegetable, and sausage—joined the teachers filling the room ladling soup into their bowls and choosing from a variety of baked goods for dessert before heading to a meeting. All the pomp and circumstance was to show appreciation for USD 408 teachers and to say thanks, said organizer Margaret Wilson.

DEATHS

  • Susie Ellis

    Retired licensed practical nurse Susie K. Ellis, 81, of Florence died Dec. 28 at Newton Medical Center. She was born March 13, 1932 in Hutchinson and had lived in Florence for about five years. Her husband, Laurel; a daughter Kathy Menefee; and two brothers; and three sisters preceded her in death.

  • Patricia Hagan

    Patricia N. “Granny” Hagan, 72, died Dec. 30 at her home in Marion. She had moved to Marion from Sedgwick in 2003 and was retired from Bank of America in Wichita. She was born June 5, 1941, in Brad, Texas, to Oscar and Ima Kelly Smith. She grew up in Texas and New Mexico.

  • IN MEMORIAM:

    Gary Fredrickson, Patricia Jackson, Glenn Kyle

DOCKET

GOVERNMENT

  • Commissioners tie loose ends on slow day

    County commissioners took little action Monday during a shortened day of business. Commissioners approved renewal of a mapping contract with RS Digital for a yearly fee of $7,742.

  • Mayor to seek re-election

    Mayor Mary Olson finished 2013 by filing for re-election Dec. 31. Olson is in her seventh year of being mayor. She said that if re-elected she hoped to continue her mission of encouraging residents’ involvement in city government.

  • Marion to repair 37 curbs, hopes to hire new city clerk

    The City of Marion already has several resumes for the city clerk position vacated by Angela Lange, according to city administrator Roger Holter. “We hope to begin the process of going through the resumes to decide who we would like to interview,” he said.

OPINION

  • Studying a lesson of note

    Rogers, State. Laird, Defense. Connally in the Treasury. Mitchell, A.G. Richardson, H.E.W. Rogers C.B. Morton, Interior . . . . — 1971 Generations of Marion High School graduates lost one of their most dogged champions this week with the passing of retired educator Pat Jackson.

  • It's enough to pop your top

    I witnessed something a few weekends ago that demonstrated changing realities. On a 2½-hour trip with my daughter and her children, we stopped at a Wal-Mart along the way to pick up a few items. My 11-year-old granddaughter went off to shop and came back through the checkout lane with a retro bottle of orange pop, topped with a metal cap.

  • LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

    Big locust tree cut down
  • ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

    What do you mean?

PEOPLE

  • Hett family celebrates Christmas in Wichita

    Jackie Hett’s family celebrated their 26th Christmas at a motel near Wichita. Every family was able to attend. Family members who attended included:

  • Longtime Farm Bureau agent retires

    Combined they have more than 60 years of experience, but last week Steve Kill, and his wife, Judy, completed their last day with Farm Bureau Financial Services. Kill has been an agent for more than 40 years and worked at the Marion office since 1985. Judy has worked for the company for 24 years.

  • Reservations needed for auxiliary dinner

    Friday is the deadline to make a reservation to attend the St. Luke Hospital Auxiliary’s annual public dinner meeting. The dinner will be at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16 at Eastmoor United Methodist Church.

  • Fikes celebratein Ramona

    The family of Warren and Paula Fike had a dinner and a gift exchange Dec. 29 at the Trinity Lutheran parish hall in Ramona. Those who attended were:

  • Wienses gather at chruch

    The family of Mary Ann Wiens gathered Dec. 28 at Eastmoor United Methodist Church for its annual Christmas dinner. Those attending from Marion were Mary Ann Wiens; Gerald and Jan Wiens; Jennifer Schneider; Jim and Joni Crofoot; Don and Janice Hodson; Jeffrey, Erica, and Noah Richmond; Bryan Grosse; Lindsey Richmond, Jace and Braylee; and Jerry, Loreen, and Eli Hett.

  • Retreat supports transition to adulthood

    At least 19 young people from Marion County attended a youth retreat Dec. 29 through Jan. 1 at the First United Methodist Church in Wichita. The retreat, provided several times a year by the United Methodist Conference, is called “Chrysalis,” the formative stage of development between a caterpillar and a butterfly in nature.

  • Bernhardts celebrate 50th

    David and V. Susie (Dody) Bernhardt of McPherson celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary Dec. 26 in Hutchinson with a family dinner. They were married Dec. 29, 1963, at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Ramona. They have two children, David W. of McPherson and Doug (Missy) of Inman. They have two grandchildren, Dylan and Abigail of Inman.

  • Free radon test kits available

    Marion County Environmental Health is offering free radon test kits to residents. Radon is a tasteless, odorless, colorless gas that comes from breakdown of uranium in soil. It builds up under homes and seeps in through foundation cracks and holes. Linked to lung cancer, it is thought to be present in one in 15 homes nationwide. Kits are available through Marion County Health Department, 230 E. Main St., Marion, as part of a statewide radon awareness effort.

  • Developmental screenings offered

    Free developmental screenings for children birth through age 5 will be offered from 12:30 to 3 p.m. Tuesday at Hillsboro United Methodist Church. The screenings will check learning, motor, language, and social areas. Vision and hearing will also be screened. Appointments are necessary. Screenings usually take an hour to complete. To schedule an appointment call (620) 382-2858.

  • Leadership class to meet

    Marcy Aycock of Butler Community College will discuss “Finding Your Leadership Compass,” when the latest class of Leadership Marion County has its first meeting on Feb. 6 at Morning Star Ranch near Florence. After lunch, Jordan King will give a history and tour of the ranch. Class members are Ashley Friesen of Hillsboro, and Karen Williams, Dainne Cyr, and Roger Schroeder of Marion. Organizers are Kerry Maag, Rebecca Wingfield, Dana Gayle, and Tonya Richards.

  • Housing assistance available

    Marion County residents with severe mental illness may apply to Prairie View Inc. for housing assistance. Prairie View has received a $70,000 state grant to help people with severe mental illness and income at or below 50 percent of median. Those chosen will receive up to two years of rental subsidy. Prairie View will begin accepting applications Monday. For more information contact Brad Schmidt at (316) 284-6400 or (800) 992-6292.

  • BIRTHS:

    Adeline Bina, Zoey Janzen
  • 4-H CLUB NOTES:

    Happy Hustlers, Tampa Triple T's, Wide Awake
  • MEMORIES:

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

SCHOOL AND SPORTS

  • Warrior comeback falls short

    Down 22 points to Moundridge heading into the fourth quarter, the Marion boys’ basketball team went on a feverish run Tuesday, coming within five points of the lead before time ran out. Marion started the game sluggishly, giving up eight unanswered points before Taylor Heidebrecht made a layup halfway through the first quarter. The Warriors struggled to gain ground on the early deficit, going into the second period down 14-7.

  • Slow start keeps Lady Warriors down

    The Marion High School girls’ basketball team lost 46-26 to Moundridge Tuesday after failing to score in the first quarter. Turnovers hurt the Lady Warriors early, and the Wildcats converted on offense, scoring 11 points in the first quarter. Marion struggled to overcome the early deficit the rest of the game.

  • Lady Trojans suffocate Marion

    The matchup Friday night between the Hillsboro and Marion girls’ basketball teams began evenly but changed midway through the first quarter. Tied at six with three minutes left in the quarter, the Trojans scored 10 consecutive points to take a 16-6 lead into the second quarter.

  • Warriors struggle to stop Trojan shooting

    The Marion Warriors boys’ basketball team led for all of about a minute Friday night before the Hillsboro Trojans took a lead they would not lose. After Grif Case made a layup on Marion’s first possession, Hillsboro’s Christian Ratzlaff scored eight in two minutes, two 3-pointers and a step-back jumper. A Jordan Faul layup seconds later caused a Marion timeout.

  • Centre dominates Peabody-Burns

    Tuesday night basketball was a couple of easy wins for Centre teams. Girls win by 33

  • Love for the game keeps youth coach motivated

    When Stacey Sawyer was young, there was never a reason not to be playing basketball. Often he would rely on moonlight or tennis court lights at Central Park to work on his abilities.

  • Martin wins scholarship

    Cara Noel Martin, a 2013 graduate of Marion High School, has won a $1,000 scholarship from Inter-Tribal Council of AT&T employees. A freshman at Haskell Indian Nations University, she is majoring in elementary education with an emphasis in special education. She is a member of the Muskogee Creek nation.

  • RECA wants to send students to Colorado

    Flint Hills Rural Electric Cooperative Association will award two all-expense-paid trips July 12-18 to Steamboat Springs, Colo., for a four-state Cooperative Youth Leadership Camp. The contest is open to all high school sophomores and juniors in the Flint Hill’s service area whose parents or guardians are members of the Flint Hills Rural Electric Cooperative.

  • Course for chronic disease patients to begin Jan. 21

    Health Ministries Clinic in Newton will offer a free six-week course for individuals with one or multiple chronic diseases. The course will begin Jan. 21 at Newton Recreation Center. Caregivers also are welcome.

  • Prairie View to host workshop

    Prairie View Inc. will sponsor an Adventure with Youth at Risk workshop Monday through Wednesday at its main campus, 1901 E. First St., Newton. The workshop is designed for adults who work with at-risk youths in schools, treatment centers, detention centers, and other specialized programs. Adults who encounter youth in other settings are welcome, as well.

YOUR MONEY

  • Nothing small about farmers' tax challenges

    Farming used to be considered small business, but even for small farms, that reality has changed. It is next to impossible to find farmers who feel comfortable filing their own taxes at the end of the year. Farming is big business and includes many variables that can affect the profitability of the enterprise. Even a small farmer, by today’s standards, handles hundreds of thousands of dollars a year. Sometimes expenses are more than income or vice versa, but regardless, farmers look to tax professionals to keep track of things such as depreciation and capital gains to submit an accurate return.

  • Class prepares students for future

    To Lois Smith, understanding one’s financial plan is one of the more important things people should do. A former business teacher, Smith’s Good Sense Money Management workshop Sunday was designed to help students develop a financial plan while still respecting biblical principles.

  • Online tax filing now available

    Taxpayers who need to file only a Kansas individual income tax return may do so online. Online filing is available only for those using the state’s free online application, KS WebFile, at http://www.kansas.gov/webfile, not a third-party vendor.

MORE…

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