PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

Drought fouls Florence water

Florence residents are under a state advisory to boil water for drinking and food preparation, flush dirty-looking water from household pipes, and disinfect dishes. The advisory was issued Tuesday by state health authorities. The advisory was issued after Mayor Bob Gayle notified Kansas Department of Health and Environment chlorine in the city water supply was lower than state requirements.

'We needed a humbling experience'

Emanuel Villa and his son, Aiden, drove 13 hours from Nashville, Tennessee, and then traveled 60 miles to honor a man they knew nothing about until a year ago. The pair started the Father Kapaun pilgrimage in Wichita, going the entire route even though Aiden’s shoes gave out the first day. Emanuel created “make do” insoles for Aiden’s shoes. The second day, the pair rode because of the state of the shoes.

Death of 2-year-old under investigation

Although foul play isn’t suspected, the death Friday of a 2-year-old Marion boy is under investigation. Dispatchers were told at 1:32 p.m. that the child was unresponsive at a rental home in the 1000 block of Sherman St. in Marion.

Uncertainty compounds fiery crash

A Wichita woman apparently so inebriated that she didn’t know whether she was alone or had passengers in her car drove through a barbed wire fence early Sunday along 190th Rd. west of Pawnee Rd., across a pasture, and into a tree. Her car burst into flames and was fully engulfed when Marion firefighters, Marion ambulance, and sheriff’s deputies responded to the 12:37 a.m. call.

Caller winds up in jail after reporting crime

We’ve all heard that crime doesn’t pay. Neither, it seems, does reporting it — provided you’re a wanted fugitive. According to monitored police transmissions, a group of women was at Casey’s General Store in Marion around 11 p.m. Friday when a group of men they didn’t know approached them.

Former Hillsboro administrator remembered

Hillsboro council members who worked with longtime city administrator Larry Paine, whose funeral service was today, lauded Paine’s accomplishments during his 12 years at the helm of the city. Paine fought cancer from January 2018 until after he announced his resignation effective June 2020. He was Hillsboro city administrator the final years of a 47-year career in city administration.

Panic buttons among count's tech upgrades

Marion Senior Center and the county’s department on aging will get two panic buttons, a new connection from courthouse Internet service, and access to courthouse servers when a new security system is installed. If a panic button is activated, security cameras mounted outside the courthouse will pan the building, a block to the south.

County questions work on fences

Unable to ascertain whether any progress has been made on fence work a Peabody farmer was ordered to do, county commissioners decided Monday to put the matter on their agenda for next week. Randy Eitzen’s fences came to commissioners’ attention when neighbors Lyle and Wilbur Leppke and Larry Andres complained about Eitzen’s cattle getting out of his pasture and onto neighboring properties and roadways.

Splash pad nearing completion

A downtown Hillsboro splash pad, five years in the planning, fundraising, and construction, partially opened Saturday. Solar shades and benches for the splash pad complex have not arrived, but water sprays were turned on Saturday, city administrator Matt Stiles said.

Olde Towne gets renovation grant

Hillsboro’s Olde Towne building, 126 N. Main St., will be repaired and renovated into a downtown event center thanks to a Historic Economic Asset Lifeline grant of $74,999 from the Department of Commerce and the Patterson Family Foundation. The main level of the building, owned by TDriggers Investments, will become rental space for events and entertainment. The upper level will be renovated into apartments.

Rural done right: Cafe, food store keep Tampa alive

Little Tampa might not be a shopping mecca, but it does have items its residents need. That’s why county commissioner David Mueller’s work for his home community, once a stop on the Santa Fe Trail, caught the eye of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University. Muller was subject of a Kansas Profile article by the center last week.

Algae warning extended

A blue-green algae warning for Marion Reservoir was continued Thursday for another week. It is the only body of water in Kansas under an algae warning. Marion County Lake is not affected. Such warnings, issued by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, have been in effect for the reservoir virtually every week during the summer vacation season for several years.

4 from county place at Grand Prix

Four Marion County residents were among those placing in Florence Grand Prix. Ben Bowers received an iron man award in the race’s modern division and placed first in the vintage open division.

Candidate list expands by 9

In addition to the filings reported last week, these candidates filed at the last minute last Wednesday or Thursday morning:

Eugene Pearson, Burns City Council

Kenneth Hoffman, Florence City Council

John Stucky, Goessel City Council

Lindsay Hutchison, Peabody mayor

Korie Hatton, Peabody-Burns school board

Mitch Guetterman, Marion school board

Sara Hiebert, Paige Conquest, and Kyle Funk, Goessel school board

Youth activity planned

Middle school and high school students from throughout the county are being invited to attend a free summer youth activity Saturday in Peabody. The event, sponsored by Marion County Substance Abuse Prevention Council and Peabody community volunteers, will be 7:30 to 11 a.m. at Peabody’s football field. Games, other activities, and free concessions will be provided.

Democrats to share ideas

Marion County Democrats will plan and share ideas at a public meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday at Peabody Township Library, 214 N. Walnut St., Peabody. Refreshments will be served. In July, county clerk Tina Spencer will speak about elections, including security and voting methods, at 10 a.m. July 10 at Marion Community Center, 203 N. 3rd St., Marion.

Free magic show next week

Omaha-based magician Jeff Quinn will return to Marion for a magic show at 3 p.m. June 14 at Marion Community Center. His program, billed as unique, will include audience participation, humor, and amusing tricks. The free public performance is being sponsored by Marion City Library.

Rain doesn't dampen festival's reign

For Clayton Garnica, chairman of the festival’s planning committee, the best part of Chingawassa Days was seeing Central Park packed Saturday night despite rain in the afternoon. “It started pouring, and everybody left,” Garnica said. “We finally got the green light at 6 p.m. The acts said, ‘You get this stage dry, and we will put on a show for you.’ Everyone worked their butts off.”

Paint helps put on a happy face

Chris Hammond hopped off Megan Jones’s chair, his forehead green and scaly. “My granddaughter told her a dragon,” Hammond said, chuckling.

Sisters are coffee entrepreneurs

Two enterprising Goessel girls brought their coffee trailer to this weekend’s Chingawassa Days and brewed up warm and iced beverages for customers who flocked to be served. Sage and Juliette Coffee Co. is named for the middle names of sisters Lukabella Sage Wiebe, a business major at Butler Community College, and Lacianna Juliette Wiebe, a homeschooled student about to begin her senior year of high school.

Larry Paine

Services for retired Hillsboro city administrator Larry Paine, 76, who died Friday in Hillsboro, will be 11 a.m. today at Parkview Mennonite Brethren Church in Hillsboro. Born May 1, 1947 in Oakland, California, to Frank and Jean (Boyd) Paine, he married Susan Smith on July 24, 1971, in Dinuba, California.

IN MEMORIAM:

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

Marriage licenses

Municipal court cases

Offenses reported

Police activity reports

State tax warrants filed

Traffic division cases

Ag leaders group meets in Florence

Graduates, current class members, and supporters of Kansas Agricultural and Rural Leadership program met Saturday at the Brandin’ Iron in Florence to celebrate the program’s successes and plan for the future. KARL is a two-year program that was founded in 1989 to identify, prepare, and connect aspiring leaders in Kansas agriculture and rural communities.

Drought stunts wheat

This year’s drought, coupled with a late frost, has been merciless on wheat crops across the county and the state. Driving through the county, it’s easy to see wheat is in trouble this year.

Farm service is a family affair

Members of the Brad Pagenkopf family of rural Lost Springs work together to provide services for farmers and ranchers. Pagenkopf Farm Repair was established in May 2020. The business has been growing steadily since then.

Grading schools' honor rolls

Garrison Keillor’s tag line — paid homage by Pat Wick’s regular tag line of “another day in the county” — could, of course, be said of almost any small town, not just his fictional hometown of Lake Wobegon, Minnesota.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

CORRECTIONS:

8 states represented at Florence banquet

Eight states and 25 Kansas cities were represented among the 130 alumni, guests, and teachers who made reservations for the May 27 Florence Alumni Banquet at the Florence gym. Organizers think the meeting, now in its the 127th year, is the oldest continuous alumni meeting in the state.

Commodities arriving

Distribution of free food to low-income residents age 60 and older is scheduled for the week of June 19. Recipients must have monthly household income of no more than $1,473 plus $511 for each household member beyond the first. Commodities will be distributed first come, first served by community at these locations: June 21 June 22 June 24

Church to honor pastor

Marion Christian Church will sponsor a potluck lunch after worship services Sunday to honor 20 years of service by pastor Carl Helm and his wife, JoAnn. Participants are being asked to bring a covered dish.

Senior center menus

MEMORIES:

Centre approves day care building

At a special meeting Monday, Centre’s board of education voted 6-1 to approved a $365,745 bid from NF Construction of Marion to build a new, temporary day care facility north of the district’s elementary school wing. The building will provide day care for staff members until a larger project involving the addition of two preschool classrooms and two day care rooms can be completed.

10 receive state FFA degrees

Ten Marion County students received state FFA degrees last week at a convention in Manhattan. To receive state degrees, students must have been in FFA members and agricultural education for two years, earned $2,000, or worked 600 hours in a supervised agricultural experience, given a six-minute speech, participated in eight leadership activities, maintained a “C” or better grade average, and demonstrated leadership and community involvement.

Honor Rolls

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