PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

HEADLINES

Peabody vet county's only hemp grower
Virginia Skinners’ newly cut hemp stalks give off the smell of fresh mint as they hang to dry in an outbuilding in Marion County. The plants shedding their seeds onto blue plastic tarp are the first of their kind to be harvested legally in Kansas in decades and the only hemp crop in Marion County.
Public safety top priority at council
Theft of a firearm and a battery incident caused community members to raise concerns over public safety in Peabody at Monday’s city council meeting. Police chief Bruce Burke said he began having on-call officers stay in Peabody after an incident where it took 35 minutes for police to respond to a call.
Former commissioner intends to run for office
Former county commissioner Dan Holub this past Friday filed for District 4 county commission seat as a write-in candidate. Holub, a conservative who served on the commission from 2004 to 2016, said he decided to run because he has seen many things happen that he disagrees with.
Storms have final fling, but fall weather forecast
Strong, gusty winds and showers blew through Marion County Tuesday evening, capping days of wild weather that left cars dented by 2.5 inch hail and spun off a late season funnel cloud. Strong winds and heavy rain are possible until late Wednesday, said Roger Martin, forecaster with the National Weather Service in Wichita.
Study shows steep jump in suicide among youths
A newly released report by the Kansas Child Death Review Board shows the number of youth suicides in 2017 jumped more than 50% over those in 2016. While 20 youths died by suicide in 2016, 32 did in 2017.
Things to know about suicide
Suicide risk factors Depression, mental illness, and substance abuse. Mental illness, including depression, is associated with 90% of suicides. Alcohol and drug use, which clouds judgment, lowers inhibitions, and worsens depression, are associated with 50-67% of suicides.

OTHER NEWS

County tops in state for mortgage approval
When Darren Franz walked into Hillsboro’s Emprise Bank to apply for his first home loan, it helped to see familiar faces. “I can walk in there and everyone knows who I am,” he said. “It helped make things more comfortable and relaxed in a very stressful situation.”
Car wreck sends six to hospital
Six people were injured Monday morning in a three-vehicle collision at Cedar St. and US-56 in Marion. According to a Kansas Highway Patrol accident report, a 2015 Ford Escape driven by Virgilene Faith Weber, 37, Elmdale, was stopped on US-56 waiting to turn left onto Cedar St. when the Escape was rear-ended by a 2004 Ford F150 pickup driven by Samuel Charles Chambers, 19, La Cygne.
Marion County files tax foreclosure petitions
Marion County filed a petition Sept. 24 to have 71 properties sold for delinquent taxes. According to the petition, taxes have not been paid as required by law; and all of the real estate is subject to foreclosure and sale for delinquent taxes.
City turns out for 'soft' opening of Edward's Cafe
The coffee pot is on and the breakfasts and burgers at Edward’s Café apparently can’t be beat. The restaurant had its soft opening this past weekend during Old Settlers Day celebrations and has seen a steady stream of visitors — including a near capacity crowd on Saturday.
Masons sponsor scholarship contest for high schoolers
Marion County high school juniors and seniors can enter a Florence Advance Lodge 114 essay contest to win a $100 scholarship that will be given to a student from each county high school. Winners will then be entered in the 2019 state Masonic public school essay contest, which will give a total of $12,000 in scholarships.
'Plains Folk' columnist to speak at Marion museum
Longtime Emporia State University professor and Kansas historian Jim Hoy will be at Marion Historical Museum at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 to talk about Kansas legends and folktales. Limited seating will be available, and freewill donations will be accepted.

FARM

Farming practices are evolving
Technology over the past decade has taken a leap forward, and farm-fertilizing practices are no exception. Marion County farmer Alan Hett uses soil grid sampling and use field view satellite imaging to map farmland, which makes the process of adding fertilizer easier.
Corn harvest stalled by rain
Farmers have been taking advantage of dry weather the past two or three weeks to harvest corn, but weekend rain brought their streak of luck to a halt. Harvest is close to 90 percent complete in the southern part of the county and 75 to 80 percent complete in the north, according to elevator managers.
Old reliable combine gets the job done
The 1660 Case International combine Laverne Bina uses to harvest his crops was manufactured in the 1990s and doesn’t have a lot of the modern technology, but it still gets the job done, and it’s debt-free. Bina was combining his last field of corn Thursday northeast of Marion.

DOCKET

OPINION

Simple pleasures are the best
Editorials typically focus on big things — top issues facing our community, like whether commissioner Dianne Novak’s close collaboration with wind farm opponents makes her stubbornly dedicated or a sore loser merely adding to county legal bills. This week, however, we’d like to focus on little things — often ignored details that don’t always get the attention they deserve.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
Symphony on the prairie

PEOPLE

County, wind farm still dispute responsibility for road repair
No progress is being made toward ending a dispute over repairing the county’s roads between county officials and Enel Green Power, the company developing Diamond Vista wind farm in the northern section of the county. County engineer Brice Goebel told commissioners Monday that Enel continues to deny it’s their job to repair road damage caused by flooding.
Upcoming events at Peabody
Peabody Fall Cleanup will be Saturday. All loose items must be bundled, boxed or bagged. No loose trash or debris, appliances with Freon, tires, or construction debris will be accepted. A free movie night at Gracepoint Church, 802 N. Vine, will be at 6 p.m. Saturday. The movie, “Unplanned,” is open to the public and refreshments will be served. Because of the subject matter — abortion — and the movie’s R rating because of graphic scenes, the movie is not advised for children 10 and under, and parents are asked to accompany children 12 and under.
Trunk-or-treat set Oct. 31
Peabody Main St. Association’s Trunk-or-Treat will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 in downtown Peabody. Participants are invited to decorate their vehicles for Halloween and pass out treats. The 100 block of Walnut will be blocked off for safety, and set up usually begins at 4:30 p.m.
Prairie View director honored as crisis instructor
Everett Bradley, director of recreation and adventure for Prairie View, has been awarded meritorious status by the Crisis Prevention Institute for his work as certified instructor of nonviolent crisis intervention Bradley is one of 227 certified instructors worldwide recognized at this level for commitment to teaching a safe no-harm method for managing people in crisis.
Butler County ghost town program offered
Friends of the Whitewater Memorial Library and the Frederic Remington Area Historical Society are jointly sponsoring “Butler County Ghost Towns” 7 p.m. Oct 7 at Centre Point Church in Whitewater. Ken Spurgeon, who has spent more than 20 years teaching high school and college, will speak.
CALENDAR:
Calendar of events
WONSEVU:
Residents visit arts and crafts fairs
SENIOR CENTER:
Peabody Senior Center menu

SPORTS AND SCHOOL

Peabody-Burns football wins big at Herington
Even with storms threatening Friday night, one-half of a game was all Peabody-Burns needed to pull out a dominant 54-14 win at Herington. After the first quarter, the Warriors were already trouncing Herington 40-0.
Peabody-Burns volleyball goes 1-2 at Wakefield tourney
Despite going 1-2 Saturday, Peabody-Burns volleyball finished on a high note at the Wakefield tournament. Peabody-Burns’ match against the home team started as a tightly contested match, but didn’t end that way. The Warriors took the first set 25-15, but Wakefield managed to snatch the second 25-22.

PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

Former county commissioner Dan Holub this past Friday filed for District 4 county commission seat as a write-in candidate. Holub, a conservative who served on the commission from 2004 to 2016, said he decided to run because he has seen many things happen that he disagrees with.

A newly released report by the Kansas Child Death Review Board shows the number of youth suicides in 2017 jumped more than 50% over those in 2016. While 20 youths died by suicide in 2016, 32 did in 2017.

Suicide risk factors Depression, mental illness, and substance abuse. Mental illness, including depression, is associated with 90% of suicides. Alcohol and drug use, which clouds judgment, lowers inhibitions, and worsens depression, are associated with 50-67% of suicides.

When Darren Franz walked into Hillsboro’s Emprise Bank to apply for his first home loan, it helped to see familiar faces. “I can walk in there and everyone knows who I am,” he said. “It helped make things more comfortable and relaxed in a very stressful situation.”

Marion County filed a petition Sept. 24 to have 71 properties sold for delinquent taxes. According to the petition, taxes have not been paid as required by law; and all of the real estate is subject to foreclosure and sale for delinquent taxes.

The coffee pot is on and the breakfasts and burgers at Edward’s Café apparently can’t be beat. The restaurant had its soft opening this past weekend during Old Settlers Day celebrations and has seen a steady stream of visitors — including a near capacity crowd on Saturday.

Longtime Emporia State University professor and Kansas historian Jim Hoy will be at Marion Historical Museum at 7 p.m. Oct. 14 to talk about Kansas legends and folktales. Limited seating will be available, and freewill donations will be accepted.

Technology over the past decade has taken a leap forward, and farm-fertilizing practices are no exception. Marion County farmer Alan Hett uses soil grid sampling and use field view satellite imaging to map farmland, which makes the process of adding fertilizer easier.

The 1660 Case International combine Laverne Bina uses to harvest his crops was manufactured in the 1990s and doesn’t have a lot of the modern technology, but it still gets the job done, and it’s debt-free. Bina was combining his last field of corn Thursday northeast of Marion.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

Peabody Main St. Association’s Trunk-or-Treat will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 31 in downtown Peabody. Participants are invited to decorate their vehicles for Halloween and pass out treats. The 100 block of Walnut will be blocked off for safety, and set up usually begins at 4:30 p.m.

Friends of the Whitewater Memorial Library and the Frederic Remington Area Historical Society are jointly sponsoring “Butler County Ghost Towns” 7 p.m. Oct 7 at Centre Point Church in Whitewater. Ken Spurgeon, who has spent more than 20 years teaching high school and college, will speak.

CALENDAR:

WONSEVU:

SENIOR CENTER:

Even with storms threatening Friday night, one-half of a game was all Peabody-Burns needed to pull out a dominant 54-14 win at Herington. After the first quarter, the Warriors were already trouncing Herington 40-0.