Marion County RECORD

HEADLINES

Peabody chief quits, cites 'slander'
Peabody police chief Philip Crom abruptly resigned at a city council meeting Monday night. “The last couple of weeks have been kind of tough for me stress-wise,” Crom said. “My doctor has told me it’s time to hang up the chief’s spot and go back to something a little less stressful.
'Are you done in there?'
A 13-year-old Hillsboro boy spent about an hour Thursday locked inside a Pizza Hut bathroom until police and firefighters could free him. The lock mechanism on the heavy metal door failed, Fire Chief Ben Steketee said, and the boy was unable to open it.
Tampa teen beats the rap
Robert Spohn isn’t your typical rapper, as he will be the first to admit. The Centre High School senior is soft-spoken and humble. He doesn’t smoke or drink. He is a far cry from the braggadocio, party-loving emcees who tend to top the hip-hop charts.
A bloomin' shame, Today's beauty is tomorrow's ecological beast
Today’s beauty is tomorrow’s ecological beast By FINN HARTNETT Staff writer Callery pear trees, also known as Bradford pear after a popular cultivar, are in full bloom around the county.
Judge accepts conspiracy allegation in newspaper raid
Rejecting dismissal motions by the city and county, a federal judge ruled Friday that the “As alleged here,” Judge Daniel D. Crabtree wrote, “defendants manufactured probable cause to procure search warrants, used those search warrants to raid the newspaper’s place of operations, and plainly violated the terms of the search warrant to seize the newspaper’s every computer, effectively shutting it down.”

OTHER NEWS

Ex-cop gets 60 years for child porn
A year and a half after former Marion County deputy and Burns Police Chief Joel Justice Womochil, 39, was arrested on child pornography charges, he was sentenced Thursday to 60 years in federal prison at Petersburg, Virginia. He was ordered to serve two consecutive 30-year sentences for conspiracy to commit sexual exploitation of a child. He pleaded guilty to the charges Oct. 9 in return for dismissal of other charges.
Audit shows Hillsboro with less than expected
An independent audit Tuesday concluded that Hillsboro ended 2024 with half as much money as hoped in its general fund. The audit by the Adams Brown CPA firm did not find any problems, city administrator Matt Stiles said, but rather “primarily reflects non-recurring capital projects and expenditures.”
Crews work nearly 3 hours after worker stops breathing
A Cooperative Grain and Supply employee who collapsed and stopped breathing at work Monday spent nearly three hours being worked on by paramedics and hospital staff before he was taken to Kansas Heart Hospital. Ambulance crews from both Hillsboro and Marion responded to the crop production facility at 10:52 a.m. and worked on Lowell Foth, giving him cardiopulmonary resuscitation and defibrillating him twice before he was taken to Hillsboro Community Hospital by Hillsboro ambulance.
Rape is latest charge in jail's revolving door
Arrested twice last week, a 27-year-old Marion man faces multiple charges of violence including rape and kidnaping. A complaint filed March 21 in the first of three criminal cases against Paul A. Huddleston says that on Feb. 7 he drove recklessly, refused to stop for police and drove under the influence of alcohol or drugs, without a valid license, and with improper stop or turn lamps and defective stop or tag lamps.
Hearing will consider changes in wind farm rules
Proposed amendments to the county’s wind farm overlay regulations will be discussed at a public hearing May 22. Commissioner Clarke Dirks gave the amendments to commissioners and planning director Sharon Omstead March 24.
Planners send answers to commissioners
County planning commission members provided answers Thursday to questions county commissioners asked them last fall to investigate. The questions came in response to reports that an expanded wind farm might be located in Menno, Liberty, East Branch, and West Branch townships.
New health building officially opens
Marion County’s new health department building, featuring a laboratory, a pharmacy, a reception room with large portraits of county residents, a drive-thru garage, and a plethora of storage rooms, officially opened Monday. Roughly 40 attended a ribbon-cutting for the $1.6 million building at Main and Thorp Sts. in Marion.

DEATHS

Richard Scheele
IN MEMORIAM:
Shirley Jost
IN MEMORIAM:
'Willie' Hayes
IN MEMORIAM:
Lenora Smith

FOR THE RECORD

OPINION

Opening up about closed meetings
“You campaign in poetry but govern in prose.” Mario Cuomo’s pontification on the pretense of politics was both an indictment of promises not delivered and an explanation why details often derail them. These days, we hardly have to worry about whether national politicians are letting details derail promises. Pesky things like the Constitution and decades of legislation don’t seem to be stopping the MAGA freight train.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
Make yourself useful

PEOPLE

Pulling in his shingle,Brookens looks back on political and legal career
Speaking to him Thursday, Bob Brookens was not wearing a dress shirt, tie, and slacks, the familiar garb he donned as a local attorney for 46 years. Having retired last Halloween, Brookens dresses a bit more informally these days.
Nursing student to receive scholarship
Hutchinson Community College nursing student Kelli Christ, daughter of Andrew Christ and Nanci Heath of Goessel, has been named a 2025 New Century Workforce Scholar and will receive a $1,500 scholarship.
Senior center menus
MEMORIES:
15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 110, 145 years ago

SPORTS PREVIEW

Marion teams' experience varies; swim team serves 4 districts
Marion won’t field a softball team this season because of a lack of players, but it will compete in four other sports, including a joint swimming team with members from Marion, Centre, Hillsboro, and Peabody-Burns. Track
Trojans' five teams hope to build on experience
Hillsboro hopes to rely on experience to advance in five sports this spring. Track
Small track squad will compete for Centre
Centre will field its own track team but will join with two other schools for other spring sports — Herington for baseball and Marion for swimming and golf. Despite practicing with Marion, Centre has its own golf coach and will be scored separately.
Returning qualifiers raise hopes for Goessel
Returning veterans provide high hopes for Goessel in both golf and track this season. Golf
Warrior track squad looks to grow
Peabody-Burns will field its own track team and join with other county teams for two other sports this season — Hillsboro for baseball and Marion for swimming. Track

MORE…

HOVER OVER IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT

Centre senior Robert Spohn has been rapping under the "Lil Melon" alias for three years. "Recording usually takes about two hours, but I don't record every week," Spohn says. "Writing-wise, I probably put in four or five hours a week."

Jeremiah Nienstedt performs a solo called "El Verano" ("The Summer"), which he also will perform at upcoming music festivals.

Rylee Thomas tests the number of hurdles she can get through without a misstep.

From left, Rylee Voran and Khloe Funk practice their swings.

Marion County RECORD

Peabody police chief Philip Crom abruptly resigned at a city council meeting Monday night. “The last couple of weeks have been kind of tough for me stress-wise,” Crom said. “My doctor has told me it’s time to hang up the chief’s spot and go back to something a little less stressful.

A 13-year-old Hillsboro boy spent about an hour Thursday locked inside a Pizza Hut bathroom until police and firefighters could free him. The lock mechanism on the heavy metal door failed, Fire Chief Ben Steketee said, and the boy was unable to open it.

Robert Spohn isn’t your typical rapper, as he will be the first to admit. The Centre High School senior is soft-spoken and humble. He doesn’t smoke or drink. He is a far cry from the braggadocio, party-loving emcees who tend to top the hip-hop charts.

Today’s beauty is tomorrow’s ecological beast By FINN HARTNETT Staff writer Callery pear trees, also known as Bradford pear after a popular cultivar, are in full bloom around the county.

Proposed amendments to the county’s wind farm overlay regulations will be discussed at a public hearing May 22. Commissioner Clarke Dirks gave the amendments to commissioners and planning director Sharon Omstead March 24.

County planning commission members provided answers Thursday to questions county commissioners asked them last fall to investigate. The questions came in response to reports that an expanded wind farm might be located in Menno, Liberty, East Branch, and West Branch townships.

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

Speaking to him Thursday, Bob Brookens was not wearing a dress shirt, tie, and slacks, the familiar garb he donned as a local attorney for 46 years. Having retired last Halloween, Brookens dresses a bit more informally these days.

Hutchinson Community College nursing student Kelli Christ, daughter of Andrew Christ and Nanci Heath of Goessel, has been named a 2025 New Century Workforce Scholar and will receive a $1,500 scholarship.

MEMORIES:

Marion won’t field a softball team this season because of a lack of players, but it will compete in four other sports, including a joint swimming team with members from Marion, Centre, Hillsboro, and Peabody-Burns. Track

Hillsboro hopes to rely on experience to advance in five sports this spring. Track

Centre will field its own track team but will join with two other schools for other spring sports — Herington for baseball and Marion for swimming and golf. Despite practicing with Marion, Centre has its own golf coach and will be scored separately.

Returning veterans provide high hopes for Goessel in both golf and track this season. Golf

Peabody-Burns will field its own track team and join with other county teams for two other sports this season — Hillsboro for baseball and Marion for swimming. Track