PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

Peabody police note rise in crime

“We have had a rash of burglaries and thefts from local residences and motor vehicles in the past month or so,” Peabody Police Chief Bruce Burke said this week. “People need to be more cautious and lock their homes and their cars.” He issued a reminder to residents and visitors to pull the keys from the ignition and lock the doors when they leave their vehicle, even if it is just for a few minutes.

Couple loves working with bees

Noel and Debbie McSweeney like to grow things naturally on their six-acre farm near Peabody. They also pay attention to environmental issues and their impact on local agriculture. All of this, combined with an intense interest in bees and the production of quality honey, led the couple to pursue and gain “Bee Friendly” status with a statewide organization of beekeepers this January.

Road by Goessel causes concern

Billowing dust, chuck holes on every corner, slash-and-gash boulders rolling from the high center crown to steep-edged ditches, and washboards of every shape and size strategically aligned so that any driver who dares venture aboard must stay on high alert … it sounds like an expedition of Land Rover on the face of the moon, but it really is the reality that awaits drivers coming and going on the west side of the city of Goessel. One mile of 120th, from Alamo or State Street on the west edge of town to the McPherson County line, is the responsibility of Marion County to maintain, but patrons of the road are sick of traversing the disastrous road.

Files stolen from aging department

A laptop computer, flash drive, and paper files were stolen from a vehicle of a Kansas Department on Aging employee in Wichita on Jan. 12. The department is attempting to notify customers of a potential breach to their personal and protected health information.

Setting a world record isn't easy

Apparently, a lot of thought goes into setting a world record. Marion County Park and Lake Superintendent Steve Hudson outlined his plan for a record breaking marshmallow roast scheduled for March 24 at the Marion Chamber of Commerce Luncheon on Friday

Esther Fisher

Esther R. Fisher, 88, of Hillsboro died Thursday at Pinnacle Park in Salina. She was born April 28, 1923, to Peter C. Janzen and Susie (Regier) Janzen.

Audrey Kukuk

Audrey Elizabeth Kukuk, 74, of Perry, Okla., died Jan. 13 at Perry Memorial Hospital. She was born May, 24, 1937, in Perry, to Chris and Anna Mae (Neureburg) Schieffer.

Etta Mae Hartke

Etta Mae Hartke, 92, of Herington died Jan. 18 at the Medicalodges of Herington. She was born March 7, 1919, to Asa Eugene and Jessie Deronda (Lamb) Cheever on the family farm near Burdick. She was a homemaker and a member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lincolnville. She married Victor H.E. Hartke on Oct. 24, 1937, at her parents’ home. He preceded her in death on March 4, 1996. She was preceded in death by three brothers, Ernest Cheever, Roy Cheever, and Harry Cheever; and a sister, Arlene Bragg.

Bryson E. Mills

Bryson E. Mills, 75, retired attorney, mediator, municipal court judge, and racecar owner/driver died Jan. 19, 2012, in Wichita. For many years, he held the position of municipal court judge for many Marion County communities.

Weston Pitts

Weston Pitts, 78, died Jan. 21, 2012. He was a retired grocer. He was preceded in death by his parents, Carlisle and Myrtle Pitts; and a sister, Betty Austin.

Alice Ann Ulsh

Alice Ann Ulsh, 88, died Jan. 19, 2012, at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. She was born May 1, 1923, in Marion County to Dietrich and Anna (Schmidt) Klassen. She was a homemaker.

Shirley A. Wendt

Shirley A. Wendt, 77, of Herington died Saturday at her home in Herington. She was born Dec. 21, 1934, at her family’s home in Latimer to Edward F. and Frances E. (Kandt) Koepsel. She was a homemaker and worked as a dental assistant and as a clerk for Minion’s Dress Shop. She was a lifelong member of Zion Lutheran Church, where she was an active member of the Ladies Aide and taught Sunday school.

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Traffic cases

Goat rescue is rewarding for Miller

Linda Miller loves her dairy goats. She loves others’ dairy goats too, and will not hesitate to rescue them, and their owners, from difficult situations, should the need arise. “Dairy goats have such great personalities,” Miller said. “They are so smart, so giving, and so loving. I just think they are the greatest.”

Buyers find unique Charolais genetics near Hillsboro

Wooden Cross Cattle Company is home to five generations of Schlehuber family members west of Hillsboro, and it is a destination point for buyers from around the country looking for top quality Charolais cattle. “Adversity can bring new opportunity,” said owner and operator Merle Schlehuber. “In the past we have sold a high percentage of our bulls to Texas customers but due to the extreme drought there, we have been challenged to open up new markets for our bulls.”

Hett's grandson keeps ranch going

The W.J. Hett Ranch, LLC, has existed for more than 60 years, ever since Walter and Jackie Hett were married in 1946. When Walter died in 1998, Jackie and their son, Steve, kept the ranch going. They worked side by side to manage the 300-head herd. “I couldn’t have done it without Steve,” Jackie Hett said.

Peabody couple loves bees

Noel and Debbie McSweeney like to grow things naturally on their six-acre farm near Peabody. They also pay attention to environmental issues and their impact on local agriculture. All of this, combined with an intense interest in bees and the production of quality honey, led the couple to pursue and gain “Bee Friendly” status with a statewide organization of beekeepers this January.

County youths attend National Western Stock Show

Almost a dozen Marion County youths traveled to Denver, Colo., to exhibit animals and participate in a variety of agricultural contests at the National Western Stock Show in Denver last week. After months of preparation, Lisa and Lauren Geis, Bryce and SaRae Roberts, and Darren Mueller from the Hillsboro area went west to show sheep on the national stage.

4-H record books go to state competition

Several Marion County 4-H club members recently earned the honor of advancing to state competition with record books for projects completed in 2011. Bryce Roberts of the South Cottonwood club advanced with his sheep records, Karl Riffel of the Tampa Triple T’s in meat goats, and Ethan Oborny, Tampa Triple T’s in electricity. Jacob Dailey of the Goessel Goal Getters’ club moved on with two record book achievements in rabbits and photography.

Enrollment open for farm programs

Adrian Polansky, state executive director of the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency in Kansas, reminds producers that enrollment for the 2012 Direct and Counter-cyclical Program and the Average Crop Revenue Election program began Monday and will continue through June 1. DCP payments are calculated using base acres and payment yields established for each farm. Eligible producers receive direct payments at rates established by statute regardless of market prices. The 2008 Farm Bill states that no advanced payments will be issued for 2012. The entire DCP payment will be issued after Oct. 1.

County sets stage for $4.3M road projects

The final agenda item was the top priority Monday as bids from five contractors for the Tampa road project were opened at the Marion County Commission meeting. Lafarge Construction of Wichita submitted the low bid of $1,935,239 for asphalt overlay of 330th Road between Tampa and K-15.

Economic director attends retreat

Marion County Economic Development Director Teresa Huffman attended the 20th Annual Retreat for Rural Leaders at the Barn Bed-and-Breakfast Inn near Valley Falls. The retreat was attended by 18 civic leaders statewide and was organized and facilitated by the Kansas Sampler Foundation. The retreat was designed to rejuvenate individual spirit, expand peer networking, and discuss common rural issues.

County terminates demolition subsidy

A Marion County program to assist with costs for demolition disposal was terminated Monday by the Marion County Commission, over concerns the program was not meeting its original intent. The Marion County Waste Reduction Plan was intended to provide incentive for demolition of dilapidated properties by subsidizing removal of demolition waste.

Christmas cash not claimed

Sadly enough, I have no report on the lost Christmas cash from the opinion column in the past week’s newspaper. I did, however, have a pretty healthy number of people stop me to ask whether or not Cody (the recipient of the cash) or his grandmother Ruby (the giver of the cash) had come forward. It always amazes me that readers get wound up in human interest stories like this tale of Cody’s lost money. I guess we all like happy endings, and the formula in this event was certainly looking like it was made for such a conclusion. However, my weekly meeting with Police Chief Bruce Burke on Monday morning told a different story.

Silver linings, cooperation

A recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows Marion County residents are among the lowest paid workers in Kansas, which is itself below the national average in wages. With average weekly earnings of $507, Marion County is 91st out of 105 counties and trails all neighboring counties except Chase County. The state average is $754 per week, very nearly 1.5 times what Marion County’s average is. The national average is $891 per week.

Days of yore

Peabody and the rest of south central Kansas received some much needed moisture in the form of snow Friday night. Steve Morgan was named to the all tournament team at Burrton.

Brookens sorts tax opinions

During the second week of the legislative session, life seemed dominated by the tax matters before us. While Gov. Sam Brownback, in his State of the State address, also spoke about his school funding plan, state debt reduction, modifying the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System, Medicaid, and water rights, most of us spent our time making sense of the facts surrounding his tax plan. We’ll likely get more information on the other matters in time. Conceptually, Brownback advocates reducing income taxes, not reducing sales or property tax, and he advocates permitting schools to substantially raise property taxes, district by district. The devil, however, is always in the details. We now have more facts about the governor’s tax plan but it is still not complete; however, there is no shortage of newspaper articles analyzing the significance of all the known parts of the plan. You can read the analysis of others in the Jan. 18 edition of the Topeka Capital-Journal online and other editions, and in the Wichita Eagle, including Sunday’s paper.

Hope in the Heartland

Atheism is too simple. There are people who believe there is no God because of the evil things that happen in the world every day. But the charge is awkward and the thinking flawed. How can there be such a thing as “wrong” unless there is also such a thing as “right”? Where did the concept of right and wrong come from?

Wonsevu news

On Jan. 6, Hazel Clothier met her daughter, Teresa Hill, at the Pizza Hut in Marion for lunch. Teresa and her husband, Kevin, were her dinner guests on Jan. 15. Doni Rogers went to the senior potluck dinner at the community center Jan. 10 at Burns. That afternoon she went with Bill and Margie Williams to El Dorado.

Residents host family in Burns

Sandy Sayers was a guest on Jan. 14 of her parents, Lawrence and Lois Sayers. Bruce and Megan Sayers were Jan. 15 dinner guests. Lawrence and Lois took dinner to Bruce and Megan on Jan. 17 and ate with them. Marie Clark attended granddaughter Hadlye Clark’s baptism Jan. 15 at Peabody Christian Church. She was baptized by her grandfather, Wayne Lofton. After church, they and friends had dinner in Peabody.

Ammeter keeps busy

On Jan. 11, B.J. Ammeter and LaVonne Ammeter went to El Dorado for a doctor’s appointment. They also did some shopping. LaVonne and B.J. went to Marion on Jan. 13 for a dentist appointment. Afterward they went to Peabody to shop. B.J. left for Ellinwood late in the evening.

Sorosis Beta hears about tools

Sorosis Beta Club met at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Anne Potter room of the Peabody Township Library for a soup supper and a time of fellowship with 14 members and 11 spouses present. Marilyn Cox and Norma Patton were hostesses and served three delicious soups and dessert.

Havlik celebrates 95 years

Laddie Havlik of Kanopolis will celebrate his 95th birthday on Sunday. He was born Jan. 29, 1917, near Bison, Okla., to Anton and Leopolda Havlik. Over his many years, he worked on ranches in Colorado, helped construct the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington, and served in both the U.S. Army Engineers and Army Air Force before and during World War II.

Financial aid meeting Thursday for seniors

Peabody-Burns High School will host a financial aid meeting for all seniors and their parents at 7 p.m. Thursday in the school cafeteria in the Brown Building. A financial aid director from an area college will be present to provide information about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and answer questions.

Lady Warriors placed 3rd in tourney

The Peabody-Burns High School Lady Warriors basketball team brought home the third-place trophy in the Cougar Classic at Centre High School this past week. The squad got a first-round overtime win on Jan. 17 against White City, 33-31. PBHS suffered a Friday defeat in round two to Elyria Christian, 41-31. The Lady Warriors came back on Saturday in round three and took the 51-39 victory over Hope. PBHS 33, White City, 31

PBHS boys place 4th in tourney

The Peabody-Burns High School Warriors basketball team opened the Cougar Classic with a big win Jan. 17. The team defeated Centre, 53-27, in first round action. Friday action didn’t finish as well as the team lost to Hope, 45-26, in the second round. Saturday third-round action also ended in defeat for the Warriors with a loss to White City, 55-40. PBHS 53, Centre 27

Junior wrestling tournament is Saturday

The Marion Junior Wrestling Rhino Rumble Novice Tournament is Sunday. The tournament begins at 9 a.m. and should go into the mid-afternoon at the USD 408 Sports and Aquatic Center.

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