Movies here wouldn't be 'oldies'
In the Aug. 13 Marion County Record, a story about the proposed movie theater in Marion said the theater would show "second-run" movies.
That's not entirely accurate. "Second-run" is a movie industry term, as Mike Powers has pointed out to us, meaning several months old, or even "in re-release."
Movies to be shown here, if the theater becomes a reality, will not be second-run in that sense, Powers, a member of the committee seeking to establish the theater, said.
They will be only a couple of weeks behind in their release here, that is, behind Wichita, Newton, Kansas City, or wherever.
Not months.
The reason Marion-Florence USD 408 Board of Education members Keith Collett and Chris Sprowls voted against hiring Jerry Smith to be an assistant Marion High School football coach, at the most recent school board meeting, did not have anything to do with Smith personally.
It was a case of wanting to cut expenses. Smith, who formerly served as an assistant coach, then retired as a teacher and coach, was "hired back" for $2,000 for the 2003 fall season.
Collett said he makes a motion to cut back on the number of coaches just about every year. He said he would probably go along with the rest of the board this time and vote to hire Smith, but he changed his mind. He and Sprowls voted "nay," making the approval a 5-2 one.
Not hiring Smith to return would have meant MHS would have had a total of three football coaches, not four. Marion High is a Class 3A school. Most Class 3A Kansas schools have four coaches (including three assistants), Tod Gordon said. He had done a telephone survey.
Even Sterling High School, a Class 2A school, has four football coaches, Gordon, Marion Middle School principal and district athletics director, said.
It's official. County Treasurer Jeannine Bateman said Thursday the date for second-half ad valorem property taxes to come due will be May 10, 2004. This will enable the state of Kansas to make an "early" distribution of funds to public school districts in the state. It won't change the amounts of those funds, just the moment of their distribution.
If this horrible weather keeps on keeping on, I think they're gonna have to change the lyric of "Wonderful Guy," from Rodgers & Hammerstein's "South Pacific," from "I am as corny" to "I am as steamy as Kansas in August." Or sultry, or muggy, or awful. Take your pick.
— JERRY BUXTON
