BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
A brief respite from rapidly rising COVID-19 totals ended abruptly this week with disclosure of 25 new cases Wednesday and 21 more new cases Friday. Both are among the highest totals reported in Marion County on single dates in more than four weeks.
The new cases bring to 535 the total number of COVID-19 cases in the county since the pandemic began 7½ months ago. More than 100 of those cases have been diagnosed in the past 12 days, and two-thirds of them have been diagnosed in the past six weeks.
Water tower maintenance and a failed chlorine pump — those were the circumstances that led to a boil water advisory Monday in Burns, superintendent of maintenance Robyn Basham said.
The city’s water tower was being cleaned Sunday, so the city had been using a well, but a chlorine pump attached to the well malfunctioned and cause chlorine levels to skyrocket, Basham said. She tried to flush the system but that compounded the issue by causing the wells to shut off.
An inmate’s suicide attempt Saturday at Marion County Jail is under investigation by Kansas Bureau of Investigation after Julie E. Starks strangled herself with her shoelaces and died the next day at a Wichita hospital.
Starks, 38, Marion, had been sent to Larned State Hospital a few years ago for mental health issues, but was not on suicide watch Saturday, sheriff Rob Craft said.
Marion public school students who rode an activity bus Friday might need to quarantine after its driver, Jerry Kline, tested positive for COVID-19 and was put into isolation Sunday.
Kline said he was tested after his wife, Norma, got positive results from a test performed Friday.
COVID-19 rates in the county are dropping from a post-Halloween peak of 88 cases in seven days, but not everyone will be over the illness as soon as they would like.
The virus is generally thought to sicken people for up to 10 days, but some patients suffer effects from the virus for much longer.
County medical consultant Don Hodson said he has seen people with lingering effects months after their isolation period is over and they are presumed recovered.
Paramedics and emergency medical technicians with the county’s emergency medical department depend on dispatchers to let them know if they should don personal protection equipment before entering a house.
EMS no longer gets a list of addresses under COVID-19 isolation or quarantine orders, director Travis Parmley said.
St. Luke Hospital will have the use of two ventilators available through a Kansas Department of Emergency Management program.
The ventilators could arrive as soon as Friday, but chief nursing officer Kathy McMillan hasn’t yet been notified exactly when ventilators will arrive.
JoLonna Barnes got an early and unexpected Christmas gift this year when a family friend showed up with a piece of her late father’s soul.
The vehicle that arrived on a trailer in her driveway days before Thanksgiving was a horseless carriage J.B. Bloomer built himself.
A crowd of lake residents had their say Monday about a suggestion to develop long-term campsites south of a low water bridge at Marion County Lake.
The idea was first brought up a week ago at a county commission meeting, with no decision being made.
Tracy Hett has lived at Marion County Lake for nine years, and for the first time since he moved in, there has been no parade of vehicles filled with people driving by to admire his Christmas lights.
“We’ve had a few cars out here,” he said. “But nothing like we’d have most years.”
Two county bridges will be replaced next year after the county received two grants.
A 38-foot steel girder bridge on Falcon Rd. between 220th and 230th Rds. was selected by Kansas Department of Transportation for an 80% grant under the Off-system Bridge program.
Marion city workers avoided a worst-case scenario Monday after a water line cracked on S. Coble St.
“A crack is the easiest one to do,” interim streets director Tim Makovec said. “It was just a basic repair.”
Kaitlin Brunner has yet to start training at the state’s law enforcement training center, but the 22-year-old already is having a positive influence on her peers.
“One of my friends was debating it like I was for a while,” Brunner said. “As soon as she saw me doing it, it made her step forward and be like, ‘hey, this probably is something I want to do.’ It feels really good, like I’ve helped somebody figure out what they want to do in life.”
Wanda Dush waved to children from the storefront of Et Cetera Shop in Hillsboro and laughed as a little boy danced and ran for her.
The children may not have been able to sit on her lap, but they still collected goodie bags as she portrayed Santa on Saturday during Hillsboro’s Down Home Christmas celebration.
Peabody’s food bank will get $35,000 from a Community Development Block Grant for COVID-19 relief after it submits required documentation to the county clerk’s office.
The grant was approved Monday by county commissioners.
A regional transportation service that provides on-demand services from city to city for residents of Marion County is waiving fees for rides through the end of January in order to reduce the chance of passing COVID-19.
“With increasing positive COVID cases in our area, we are looking for additional ways of keeping our passengers and drivers safe,” Michelle Griffin, mobility manager for OCCK, Inc., said. “By eliminating the contact needed to charge fares and sell passes for one additional month, we are hoping to limit the spread of the virus. This also gives us time to look for more permanent safety and fare management features.”
County commissioners approved amendments to chapter 27 of the planning and zoning commission’s 2018 wind farm overlay district at Monday’s meeting.
The amendments clarify language in the original version.
Services for Michael J. Combs, 72, Lincolnville, who died Dec. 3, will be 10:30 a.m. Friday at Pilsen Cemetery.
He was born Oct. 6, 1948, in Wichita to Jerry and Rosemary (Hein) Combs.
Graveside services for Elvira Plett, 89, Newton, who died Dec. 3 at Comfort Homes in Newton were Wednesday at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church Cemetery
Born June 13, 1931, in Marion, South Dakota, to Martin and Helen (Epp) Kroeker,she married David Plett on June 5, 1951 in Marion, South Dakota.
IN MEMORIAM:
Bob SmithIN MEMORIAM:
Georgia Spohn
Ask anyone involved in criminal justice and you’ll hear the same response. Most of the people who end up in jail aren’t so much hardened criminals as they are people who suffer from mental illness or substance abuse.
We want to be just as tough on crime as every candidate who’s ever run for office, and we recognize the difficult and often dangerous public service provided by everyone involved in law enforcement.
We love sports — so much so that we interrupted writing this to watch yet another all-too-thrilling KU basketball game.
We got in the position of writing it late because we frittered away all our free time Saturday watching a KU football game. Sticking through all three hours of KU football ought to definitively prove any sports fan’s metal — or, perhaps, mental deficiency.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
3rd time's a charmLIFE ON THE FARM:
Home in time for ChristmasCALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Calendar of eventsLETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Something we need,
Spoiled Fruit
Ellen Rohl didn’t take an interest in copper enameling until she saw a friend doing it two years ago.
Rohl wasted no time jumping into the hobby head first, estimating that she traveled to around 20 craft shows in 2019.
December commodity distributions are planned for Dec. 16, 17, and 19 at 11 locations in Marion County.
Distribution Dec. 16 will be in the morning at Burns and Ramona community centers; 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Peabody Senior Center; 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Marion Senior Center; 11 a.m. at Lost Springs; 11 a.m. to noon at Lincolnville Lutheran School; 11:30 a.m. at Pilsen Community Center; 3 to 4 p.m. at Tampa Senior Center; and 5 p.m., atGoessel Mennonite Church.
Marion students Laura Savage and Macy Sigel, as well as Centre students Emil Godinez Vinduska and Montana Hayes each have won $200 college scholarships for their essays about promoting morality, uplifting the oppressed, respecting laws, and extending charity.
Savage and Godinez Vinduska were recognized by Florence Masonic Advance Lodge 114, and Sigel and Hayes received scholarships from Centre Masonic Lodge 147.
Peabody Community Foundation is seeking qualified charities for its grant funds of $9,000.
The application deadline is Jan. 6, and awards will be announced Feb. 6.
The family of Wanda Hamm is requestiung a card shower in honor of her 85th birthday Friday. Her address is Wanda Hamm, 1114 Denver St., Marion KS 66861.
Technology Excellence in Education Network’s monthly meeting will be 6 p.m. Wednesday at Hillsboro’s school district office.
Lena Kleiner requests that anyone with questions call her at(620) 877-0237.
Shirley Bowers returned to Marion Senior Center recently, and brought with her something extra. She finished a baby quilt during her time at home, which she brought for show-and-tell.
Seniors celebrated multiple birthdays since the center’s last update, including Keith Allison on Nov. 13 and Wilma Nice on Nov. 17. Treats were brought in to observe their birthdays.
MEMORIES:
10,
25,
40,
55,
70,
100,
140 years ago
High school basketball has tipped off even as its future remains up in the air, but Hillsboro High coach Darrel Knoll isn’t worried about the team’s ability to focus.
He just wants to make sure the Trojans stay positive no matter what is thrown at them.
High school basketball has tipped off even as its future remains up in the air, but Hillsboro High coach Darrel Knoll isn’t worried about the team’s ability to focus.
He just wants to make sure the Trojans stay positive no matter what is thrown at them.
With four returning state qualifiers, Hillsboro wrestling coach Scot O’Hare has high hopes for this season.
“We feel pretty good about the group we have,” he said. “We obviously have a pretty good core of returning wrestlers coming back.”
Donald Raymer is taking on even more than before in his year as Marion High School principal.
Raymer is the new coach for Marion boys basketball, and he is eager to hit the brunt of the season.
Entering his second season coaching Marion girls basketball, Jason Hett is looking forward to a faster learning curve than last year.
“They know some of the stuff we want to do,” he said. “They have a year under their belts. Hopefully we can jump right into things and everything’s not new to the girls anymore. I think that’ll help us a little bit
A first glance at Marion wrestling’s roster might indicate the team’s success will depend on super-senior Todd Palic, but there are multiple up-and-comers who are carrying over promising results from last season.
The Warriors have limited numbers this year, but Forest Slater and Chance Shults both are wrestlers who can help Palic forge a path for Marion. Each has experience on the big stage, having joined Palic at state in 2019.
“We have large numbers in the basketball program again this year,” Goessel boys basketball coach Curtis Guhr said as he surveyed the 28 players reporting for the team.
Five letter winners return from a 16-8 season last year, giving the Bluebird fans hope for another successful season.
Goessel basketball has 16 girls vying for court time, and coach Ryan Hoopes expects consistency from an experienced squad this year.
“Coming into the season with confidence and high self-esteem will prove to be a key for us to build on,” he said.
Bob Kyle is expecting improvement for Peabody-Burns boys basketball this season. The team was competitive in many games last year but won just five.
“We should be more competitive than we were last year,” he said. “It’s better teamwork and team chemistry. I think we have that. We had it in football this year, and I think that will carry over to the basketball season.”
There’s no guarantee Peabody-Burns will have a girls basketball team, but Josh Laney isn’t holding back in his preparations.
“I don’t do anything not all the way,” he said. “My philosophy will be implemented in and we’re going to play the way I coached for 15 years.”
Having lost a slew of talented basketball players from last season, the Cougars have just one returning starter, Lane Methvin.
The 5’10” senior averaged 7.4 points and 3 rebounds per game last year.
Between not starting practices until January and losing 1,000-point scorer Kelsey Hett to graduation last year, Centre girls basketball will have to rely on its experienced core of players to find success this season.
The Cougars return all five starters, highlighted by twin sisters Alyssa and Samantha Espinoza.