BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
One person was taken to a Wichita hospital and numerous residents are seeking alternative housing after a fire broke out at Indian Guide Apartments shortly after 8 a.m.
A dispatcher could be heard urging a resident to get out of the building as Peabody, Florence, and Hillsboro fire departments were being dispatched at 8:10 a.m. to the complex in the 500 block of N. Vine St.
When Frankie Stevenson, 32, along with her boyfriend and three kids moved into a rental house in the 400 block of Olive St. in Peabody about a month ago, she wasn’t expecting a breakup that put her and her children’s fate in the hands of her landlords.
When they moved into the house, Stevenson said she paid for all utility deposits and groceries with the expectation that first month’s rent would be paid out of her ex-boyfriends check.
For many Peabody residents, Friday nights mean more than the end of a workweek. It’s also an opportunity for pizza from American Legion Post 95, located in the 100 block of Walnut St.
Locals gather over spirits, laughter, and a variety of pizza toppings on homemade crust to kick off their weekends
With the deadline for pet tags quickly approaching for Peabody residents, a consequence of failing to do so also is looming.
Tags must be purchased before Jan. 31 and proof of current rabies vaccinations are required at the time of purchase. Cost at city hall is $5 if the animal is spayed or neutered and $10 if intact, with a $15 late fee if purchased after the deadline.
For a third time in less than a month, a blast of cold, arctic air hit the county Monday morning, sending people scrambling to deal with canceled schools, broken water pipes, slick roadways, and more.
An underlying sheet of ice caused by Sunday’s melt, an overnight temperature plunge, and a rain/snow mix caused additional problems.
County commissioners aren’t skimping on trash, choosing a $4.6 million transfer station Tuesday over three less expensive options for reasons of safety and efficiency.
Commissioner Kent Becker admitted sticker shock at the building’s projected price tag, but said that when the cost breakouts were explained to him, he understood.
It might have been a case of déjà vu for Congressman Roger Marshall at a public meeting Monday in Marion; as attendees reflected the same divisions he encounters regularly in Washington, District of Columbia.
One side criticized President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress, and the other side supported them.
Armed with the confidence of having the county’s former poor house recently named to the state’s register of historic places, owner Nancy Marr approached county commissioners Monday with a request.
“I am here to bring concerns about the pauper graveyard at the poor farm,” Marr told commissioners. “The ‘Negro boy’ grave is a shame to Marion County.”
Services for Margaret (Wegerer) Debbrecht, 97, who died Friday at Via Christi Assisted Living in Wichita, will be today and Thursday at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, 124 N. Roosevelt St., Wichita. A Rosary will be 7 p.m. today, and Mass will be 10 a.m. Thursday.
She was born July 21, 1920, to Francis and Mary Gertrude (Sandwell) Wegerer in Marion County. She graduated from Marion High School in 1938 and American Business College in Wichita. Margaret married Clarence J. Debbrecht on Jan. 26, 1946, at Blessed Sacrament Church, Wichita.
Services for retired Herington dentist Richard M. Mosier, 90, who died Saturday, will be 10 a.m. Jan. 27 at St. John’s Catholic Church, Herington. Inurnment will follow at St. John’s Catholic Cemetery, Herington, with military honors.
A complete obituary will be published next week.
Services for retired Topeka teacher Carolyn Platt, 83, who died Jan. 8, were Saturday at Penwell-Gabel Southwest Chapel, Topeka. Inurnment will be at Marion Cemetery at a later date.
Born Sept. 18, 1934, to Harold and Freda (Greer) Platt in Wichita, her primary school years were lived in San Antonio, Texas.
Services for former farmer Jack Regier, 86, who died Tuesday at Hillsboro Community Hospital, will be 11 a.m. Fridayat Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church.
He was born July 4, 1931, to Herman and Esther (Pankratz) Regier in Hillsboro. He married Evelyn Funk on Oct. 14, 1951, in Hillsboro.
Services for Dorothy Scharenberg, 95, who died Sunday at Hillsboro Community Hospital, will be 1 p.m. Saturday at Aulne United Methodist Church, with interment following at Hillcrest Cemetery in Florence.
She was born Aug. 24, 1922, to Morgan and Mary (Warlen) Lewis in Marion. She married Leo Scharenberg on Jan. 11, 1943, in Youngtown.
IN MEMORIAM:
Mary Lou KroupaIN MEMORIAM:
Hilda SeifertIN MEMORIAM:
James Spexarth
No one has to tell Melvin Watkins that influenza has struck hard and early this year.
The 78-year-old Pilsen resident had an early October bout of influenza that hospitalized him for three days.
Red or pale skin, numbness, or a tingling sensation while outside on a cold day can be the first signs of frostbite, a condition that can have serious consequences.
Frostbite is caused by freezing of skin and underlying tissue. Ice crystals can form in the skin, and depending on how deeply tissue freezes, can cause tissue death.
Peabody-Burns superintendent Ron Traxson got a vote of approval from school board members who voted to extend his contract Jan. 10.
After an executive session including Traxson to discuss his evaluation and contract, the board voted to extend his contract another year.
After being without a director for six months, Families and Communities Together has been re-established with the return of Ashlee Gann in a part-time capacity.
“We never wanted to get rid of FACT,” said board member Max Heinrichs. “With the loss of grant money, we could not sustain a full-time director. We are working to get it back on its feet.”
The Peabody-Burns basketball teams had another rough go of it Friday against Wakefield. The boys kept it close in the first quarter, trailing 13-6. Wakefield opened up a 29-14 advantage at the half, and exploded with 23 points in the third quarter, 52-22. Wakefield remained in control for the remaining quarter and ended the game winning 63-27.
Peabody-Burns girls also fell to Wakefield with a final score of 41-13.
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A work training program for people with disabilities will be on display when the board of directors of Harvey-Marion County Community Developmental Disabilities Organization meets at 2:30 p.m. Monday at Tabor College in Hillsboro.
The board will hear from student interns and tour work sites for Project SEARCH, which is funded by the disabilities group.
Peabody Senior Center
Blood pressure check will be available at 11 a.m. today by Peabody Health and Rehab. This will be done once a month.
The culture of historic Kansas opera houses, such as the opera house in Florence, will be featured at a meeting of the Fredric Remington Area Historical Society at 7 p.m. Feb. 5 at Remington High School in Whitewater.
Jane Rhoads, author of “Kansas Opera Houses, Actors and Community Events 1855-1925,” will talk about the importance of opera houses to cultural and social development of south central Kansas during the last half of the 19th century and early 20th century.