Marion County RECORD

Will Kapaun's remains return home?

Parishioners of Father Emil Kapaun’s parish church are hoping the hero priest’s remains will be buried in his hometown. The news spread like wildfire in central Kansas last week when the Wichita Diocese announced that the remains of Kapaun, a Pilsen native, had been identified.

Fire chief narrowly avoids ax

Preston William’s supporters applauded and his teary wife hugged him hard Monday evening when a motion to terminate him as Marion’s fire chief went down in flames. The effort to fire Preston tanked during Monday’s city council meeting after council member Susan Gray abstained and tied the vote.

Blaze leaves family homeless

The president of Peabody’s association of churches and a counselor at the high school are among those organizing efforts to help a family whose home was a total loss after a fire. Owner David Lewis, 48, made it out of the three-bedroom house at 601 N. Elm St. Monday before it was engulfed. He was unhurt.

City concedes on pool expenses

Marion city council and school board members signed paperwork Monday night that preserves the terms of an original 2006 interlocal agreement except for a tweak to how operating expenses for Marion’s community swimming pool will be paid. Mayor David Mayfield signed a revised agreement during Monday’s city council meeting and handed it to school board president Nick Kraus, who took it to the school board meeting for his signature, where it was unanimously approved.

Schools get shots for teachers as county focuses on seniors

Marion County’s health department is giving seniors older than 65 first place in line for COVID-19 vaccines, but some area school districts want their employees vaccinated sooner. Smaller districts such as Peabody-Burns and Goessel are working with the county health department to get shots for their staffers, county health department administrator Diedre Serene said.

Fire weather makes for busy firefighters

Strong winds and dry conditions have meant repeated red flag fire conditions in the county over this past week. It’s also meant county firefighters have battled 15 fires in a week’s time. Most of the fires were grass fires. Two were house fires, and one was a car on fire.

Car fire suspected to be arson

A car fire early Wednesday morning raises suspicion that it might be arson. A passer-by reported the burning car at 12:06 a.m. Wednesday on 350th Rd. just west of US-77.

House fire believed started by faulty electrical system

A fire that damaged a Hillsboro house in the early morning hours of Friday is believed to have started in the kitchen wiring. Hillsboro fire chief Ben Steketee said firefighters were called to the fire at 312 S. Birch St. in Hillsboro about 1:30 a.m. Hillsboro, Marion and Durham firefighters all responded.

Coming home to a small town and a renewed house

After 20 years, Jessica Moore is returning to her hometown and breathing new life into a 121-year-old house. The house at the intersection of Williams and 4th St. was built in 1900.

Businesses donate to foundation

About 48 community and area businesses gave to Peabody Community Foundation despite postponement of its annual pancake day fundraiser. Supporters who donated $100 or more include:Breathe Deep Works, Davis Therapeutic Massage, Kelsey’s Painting, Peabody Market, Peabody Sausage House, and Vintage Bank.

Easter egg hunt planned for April 3

Marion City Library’s annual Easter celebration will still happen this year, as an indoor, come-and-go event. The event for kids ages 2 to 8 is planned for 10 to 11 a.m. in the Santa Fe Room at the library. Kids can see the Easter Bunny, take a picture, and get a bag of candy.

Driver hurt when truck overturns

The driver of a semi loaded with anhydrous ammonia had to be taken to McPherson Hospital after it overturned on US-56 near Alamo Rd. at 10:11 p.m. Monday. The wreck happened where the highway curves. Hillsboro firefighters, summoned to assist, were at the scene until after 4:30 a.m. Tuesday.

High utility bills have power to chill

Utility bills are on everyone’s minds after a seven-day arctic blast in February drove temperatures so low — and demand for power so high — that utility rates skyrocketed and providers instituted rolling outages. Marion city council on Monday voted to have city manager Roger Holter apply for a low-interest state loan to offset expected high electricity costs.

Seniors to meet

Senior Citizens of Marion County will meet at 10 a.m. March 19 at Peabody Senior Center for lunch. Reservations, needed by March 17, are being accepted at (620) 382-3580.

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

Accidents reported

Civil division cases

County jail arrests and bookings

Criminal division cases

Deeds recorded

Emergency dispatches

Police activity reports

Traffic division cases

Partnership powers 30 years of success for shoe shop

Nearly 30 years operating a business together have taught Norma and Jim Horinek to make the best of their differences. Jim is farsighted and Norma is nearsighted. He is a skilled craftsman who can fix nearly anything made of leather. She can sew and run with any idea.

Old becomes new for this business

Amy Plett’s love of making old things new led her into a fulfilling and enjoyable part-time business. Reincarnations are sold in a small number of area stores and at area craft shows.

Trips as kid lead to career as adult

When she was growing up in southeast Kansas as Jennifer Broadstreet, Jennifer Hess spent time with her parents and grandparents driving through the countryside and visiting interesting places in Kansas. She and her siblings often took hiking trips with their mother, Carol Broadstreet. “Mom took us to historic places,” she said. “I thought it was better to learn history that way than from a book.”

Time to come home

Call it a miracle, though not of the type studied when considering candidates for sainthood. Thanks to modern science — and, perhaps, a bit of divine intervention — the remains of inspirational Korean War hero Emil Kapaun have been identified almost exactly 70 years after his death in a communist prisoner-of-war camp.

Behaving like bullies

We no longer have to look to Washington to find politicians behaving badly. We have our own right here in River City. Dismissing a fire chief in the middle of his one-year term should be reserved for the most serious of transgressions. Failing to kiss the ring of the mayor before preliminarily looking into the cost of replacing a broken-down piece of equipment isn’t sufficient cause, especially when the chief already consulted with townships that his department also serves and that were willing to pay the bill.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

Scholarship available for studies about aging

County high school seniors interested in pursuing a college degree in an area related to aging may apply for a $500 scholarship from Senior Citizens of Marion County. Eligible fields include medicine, nursing, social work, gerontology, and physical, occupational, and speech therapy.

Senior center menus

4-H:

MEMORIES:

Trojans march to state semifinals

Marion county’s basketball teams vied for their shot at state this past week during sub-state tournaments. Hillsboro High boys team is on its way to Manhattan after scoring a 63-47 win over Belle Plaine in the quarterfinals.

Bowling league results

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