PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

Deputy takes jailer job

Marion County Sheriff Robert Craft announced to Marion County Commission Monday at its meeting that current deputy Jim Philpott will become a jailer at the Marion County Jail starting today. Craft said Philpott will be tasked with knowing the ins and outs of the jail while also handling inmates for transport.

Marshmallow roast is Saturday

Marion County Park and Lake will try to set a world record for most people simultaneously roasting marshmallows Saturday afternoon and evening. The world-record idea came about as a solution of what to do with a giant pile of tree limbs that were knocked down during a storm that hit the lake and Marion in summer 2011.

Physician will not join St. Luke

St. Luke Hospital and Living Center announced Thursday that Dr. Joyce Ann Roberts, who agreed in February to come to Marion to continue her practice at St. Luke Physician Clinic, has reversed her decision and will remain with Roosevelt General Hospital Clinic in Portales, N.M. Roberts was reportedly apologetic about the change of heart but said she wouldn’t reconsider.

Lowden family scores high in stew contest

The fourth annual Irish Stew Cookoff sponsored by the Canton American Legion Riders took place at the Legion headquarters on Saturday. This year, eight teams gathered to show their cooking skills. There was corn beef and cabbage stew, beef stews of all kinds, and the traditional Irish stew made with lamb.

Local cheese maker inspired by flavor

A traveling computer software specialist by trade, Jean Groves of rural Hillsboro loves to relax on days off, with a pot of bubbling milk on the stove making cheese, while symphony music plays in the background. “I grew up in a farm family where we made a lot of our own food,” she said. “My aunts had their own cows and we always had very good, homemade cottage cheese. It took me a long time to appreciate the fact, but I have developed a palate for homemade cheese. Now that I can make my own, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

KDOT studies US-56/77, K-150 junction

Kansas Department of Transportation has made an agreement with engineering and consulting firm Trans System to assist in studying alternatives for the junction of U.S. 56 and 77 northeast of Marion. David Greiser, public affairs manager for KDOT in North Central Kansas, said the department has been paying attention to the high crash rate at the intersection for quite a while.

Mary L. Burke

Mary L. Burke, 82, of Herington died March 11, 2012, at Stormont-Vail Medical Center, Topeka. She was born June 28, 1929, in Alabama to Joseph and Olive Walker. She was a homemaker. She also worked as a waitress and a housekeeper.

Melvin L. Dirks

Melvin L. Dirks, 87, of Moundridge died March 16, 2012. He was born Aug. 1, 1924, to Isaac and Rachel (Koehn) Dirks. He was a member of the Morning Star Church of God in Christ, Mennonite. He was a retired electrician for Hesston Corp.

Marguerite Goertz

Marguerite Goertz, 96, of Hillsboro died March 17, 2012, in Hillsboro. She was born Feb. 27, 1916, in Oketo to Clement and Lydia (Shafer) DeLair. She ran Marguerite’s Mercantile Store.

Myrtle E. Peterson

Myrtle E. Peterson, 94, of Burdick died March 19, 2012, at the Medicalodges of Herington. She was born Nov. 28, 1917, southwest of Burdick to Oscar P. and Anna Marie (Anderson) Carlson. She was a retired school teacher, a member of Burdick United Methodist Church, and many church boards. She was a Conklin Products distributor for many years.

Patricia A. Wetmore

Patricia A. “Pat” Wetmore, 77, of Herington died March 16, 2012, at Marshalltown Medical Center in Marshalltown, Iowa. She was born March 17, 1934, at Herington, to George M. and Gladys E. (Everett) Darner.

Mildred Whitford

Mildred Sophia Whitford, 94, of the Baptist Home in Chillicothe, Mo., died at 12:57 p.m., March 14, 2012. She was born July 3, 1917, in Marion County, to Carl Julius and Vera H. (Overstreet) Swanson. She married Albert Lee Whitford on Jan. 18, 1941, in Cottonwood Falls.

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Orchids satisfy woman's soul

In a special room on the north side of Eileen Sieger’s rural Marion home approximately 45 orchid plants in various stages of flower and foliage belie the fact that the species is hard to grow. “Well, the many different varieties are certainly hard to spell,” Sieger said. “And they are a bit tricky to keep going. There are just some certain things you have to know to grow them.”

Daffodils bloom early

With the early warm spring, Marion County blooms with early flowering plants, including many sunny varieties of daffodils. Margaret Harris of Marion knows a few things about daffodils. In a single year, she planted as many as 3,000 bulbs of the flowers. Daffodils are very hardy flowers that thrive here.

Maintain fresh-cut flowers

Fresh flowers serve many purposes. A bouquet of flowers can be a gift on a special holiday or birthday. Some people apologize with flowers, while others use flowers to convey feelings of love or appreciation. Many people like to display fresh-cut flowers in their homes because their beauty can brighten the mood indoors. Others plant rows and rows of flowers in a garden with the express purpose of cutting them and bringing them into the home. While outdoor flowers can remain beautiful and bountiful outside, once they are cut, there is a limited amount of time before they begin to wilt and wither. But there are ways to prolong the life of cut flowers to enjoy their beauty as long as possible.

Riding mowers make life easier

Homeowners love extensive, lush, green lawns. But the elbow grease that goes into tending to the landscape is far less beloved. One task that routinely causes bouts of procrastination is mowing the lawn. But riding mowers can change the way homeowners view mowing the lawn. Traditionally, mowing the lawn has been a task largely handled by homeowners pushing walk-behind mowers. Whether these mowers were powered by gasoline, electricity or simply human power, they were the type of mower that was generally the most popular and most affordable.

KDOT studies junction

Kansas Department of Transportation has made an agreement with engineering and consulting firm Trans System to assist in studying alternatives for the junction of U.S. 56 and 77 northeast of Marion. David Greiser, public affairs manager for KDOT in North Central Kansas, said the department has been paying attention to the high crash rate at the intersection for quite a while.

City and state split local fines

People who drive too fast, run stop signs, fail to signal turns, and commit any other traffic offense pump thousands of dollars into city and Marion County government budgets each year. A common misperception is that the receipts go directly into law enforcement budgets, when in fact much of the money goes to the state of Kansas. The balance is retained by local governments primarily in their general fund accounts.

Officers defuse reservoir situation

A family camping trip turned volatile Sunday at Marion Reservoir, but coordinated efforts by Marion County Sheriff Department, Hillsboro Police Department, and Hillsboro Ambulance personnel resulted in a positive resolution for an out-of-control juvenile. A family from outside Marion County was camping at Hillsboro Cove when things started to get out of hand with their 15-year-old son.

Days of yore

The women’s auxiliary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Peabody is looking for additional members. Ethan and Elizabeth Schmidt of Emporia announce the birth of their son, Conner David Schmidt, Feb. 23, 2002.

Litter evolution

About 30 years ago, I began noticing a strange litter phenomenon that didn’t seem to have a solution. I noticed it most often on trips to the Mister’s hometown near the Oklahoma border in southeast Kansas. We always drove the same back roads, and in the early years the litter was always in the same place. Plastic trash bags and shopping bags began appearing along the roads — stuck to a barbed wire fence, flapping against naked tree branches in the winter (and spring, summer, and fall, and the following winter), or shredded in a group of head-high lilacs on the lawn of an abandoned homestead site. They never seemed to disintegrate. They just stayed where they were snagged, wrapping themselves into tight bundles one time and unfurling in a different wind by the time we drove past them on the next trip. I thought they were ugly and a real blight on our rural areas.

Who doesn't like a free marshmallow?

The anticipation has been building for months, ever since Marion County Park and Lake Superintendent Steve Hudson announced it in January. Finally, the payoff is this Saturday. Marion County Park and Lake will have a free marshmallow giveaway. What do you mean I’m missing the point? Oh, right. The real point is attempting to set a world record for most people roasting marshmallows simultaneously and attract some publicity for a lake that is seriously underrated.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

BALANCING ACT:

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:

HOPE IN THE HEARTLAND:

Beta women hear painting story

Sorosis Beta met March 15 at 7 p.m. at Peabody Township Library with 13 members and 1 guest present. President Diane Glaser opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance and the club pledge. Diane introduced Rodger Charles, librarian for Peabody Township Library. He presented a program explaining the painting by Jack Logan that has hung in the library since Jan. 1919. As far as is known, this is the only painting Logan ever did.

Next Learnig In Reasource session to feature food

Award-winning food writer Jane Marshall of Manhattan will present a program Friday in Tabor College’s Learning in Retirement lecture series titled “Biscuits and Bison: Exploring Kansas Food Heritage.” Marshall teaches food writing and development of American cuisine in Kansas State University’s Department of Hospitality Management and Dietetics. She holds a degree in home economics and journalism from K-State. She also is working on a food history and recipe book to celebrate K-State’s sesquicentennial.

Women in ag conference scheduled

“Estate Planning — Family and the Farm” is the topic for the Women in Ag Conference on April 19 in Salina. The conference begins at 6:30 p.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 743 Magnolia, Salina. Shon Robben, attorney with Arthur-Green will present information on what to consider when making an estate plan for a farm operation. He will also discuss how cost of long-term care can affect a farm estate plan.

USDA warns of financial scam

United States Department of Agriculture officials learned late Friday that fraudulent letters are being sent by FAX to individuals and businesses in at least four states. The letters purportedly come from a USDA procurement officer and seek personal information. These letters are false, and in no case should a recipient respond with personal and financial information.

Goessel museum to host faspa

KDHE issues burn safety tips

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reminds Kansans that mid-March through the end of April is the time when large areas of Flint Hills rangeland are burned. Well-planned and managed periodic burns can minimize fire safety danger and are an inexpensive tool for managing rangeland. One outcome of prescribed burning is the release of a large amount of particulate matter that can be carried long distances to more populated areas if meterological conditions do not disperse the smoke.

Ammeter hosts farm visitors

On March 7, LaVonne Ammeter went to Florence for a hair appointment. In the late afternoon, Stan Ammeter took LaVonne to Peabody to get groceries and run errands. Blaine Ammeter went into the hospital at Ellinwood and spent the night after a problem was detected with his heart. John Boese went to the Ammeter farm on March 8 to use the Internet. Dylan Boese came by for a while after school.

Burns news

Supper guests of Marie Clark on March 9 were Amy Cool and children of Glasco and Wayne and Gloria Handle of Baxter Springs. The Handles were overnight guests. Marie attended the silver wedding anniversary party of her grandchildren, Lisa and Mark Johnson on March 10 at the Marion County Lake Hall.

Wonsevu news

Gary Williams and Terry Stienbacher joined Hazel Clothier and Bill and Margie Williams on Thursday for supper at Auntie M’s Diner in Florence. Teresa Hill visited her mother, Hazel Clothier, on Thursday. They met for lunch at Pizza Hut on Friday.

Goessel teen finds use for old shoes

Jacob Dailey, rural Goessel teenager, spent part of his recent spring break cleaning up old shoes in his family’s basement. He spent another part of it researching recycling opportunities online and found a great project to turn old sports shoes his family was going to burn, into energy-wielding tiles that could light up a variety of venues. “We take stuff to the recycling bins in Goessel once a week and burn the rest,” he said. “It just seemed a shame to burn all these shoes. I looked for alternative online and came up with the Nike Re-Use A Shoe group project. It just seemed to fit perfectly with where I am in 4-H and with our need to get rid of all these shoes.”

Bookkeeper has local roots

Since Monday morning, a somewhat familiar face has occupied the front office of Hoch Publishing Company. Tena Maggard Lundgren will be the new bookkeeper for the newspaper publisher. “I was born here, grew up in the community, and graduated from Marion High School in 1980,” she said. She married Jim Reid and the couple had two daughters, Johsie and Nikki.

Butler of Marion hosts free classes

March 31 is Free Class Day at Butler Community College of Marion. Free Class Day is an opportunity for members of the community to take several non-credit classes on a variety of subjects. Schedule highlights are as follows:

Business students qualify for state

Eleven Peabody-Burns Junior/Senior High school students will get the opportunity to travel to Chicago, Ill., this spring to compete in a national competition. The students are part of Business Professionals of America (BPA) and participate in events related to business. The Peabody-Burns chapter competed at state BPA competition Feb. 16 and 17 in Wichita.

Elliott part of K-State's SpringDance

Kansas State University student and Peabody native Shelby Elliott will perform as part of the university’s SpringDance 2012. Elliott, a sophomore studying music education, will be one of the student dancers in the performances. Some of the student works are also being performed today through Saturday at the American College Dance Festival Association Conference at Missouri State University.

Scholarship offered by senior citizens

Senior Citizens of Marion County, Inc., Board will award a $400 scholarship to a 2012 Marion County high school senior. The award is to encourage young people who are interested in pursuing a degree in an aging-related field such as medicine, nursing, social work, gerontology, and physical, occupational and speech therapy. Applications are available from high school counselors and the Marion County Department on Aging, 309 S. Third St., Marion. Applications must be returned to SCMC by April 6 at SCMC, 309 S. Third St., Marion, KS 66861.

Young athletes boost PBHS track team

Peabody-Burns High School second-year head track coach Brian Lightner is looking forward to the 2012 season. His numbers are up from last year and it will be easier to fill events and compete every day. The big unknown for his squad is who will step up to elevate the team with points scored at meets. “Our team is heavy with juniors and freshmen. We have one senior and one sophomore,” Lightner said. “Many of the dominant track athletes graduated last year, so we are looking to have skill development of younger students and leadership from upperclassmen. I am excited to work with these kids and look forward to the season. As a team, they want to get better and improve each meet and we want that also.”

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