BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
Marion County will be divided between two Kansas House of Representative districts after a panel of three federal judges issued new legislative district maps late Thursday. The county was the population center of its legislative district, but it will not be the population center in either of the districts it has been split into. Previously the 70th District encompassed all of Marion and Chase counties and a northern portion of Butler County. With the new map, the 70th District will include all of Dickinson County, a small southwestern portion of Clay County, and roughly the northern half of Marion County, excluding Hillsboro. J. Robert Brookens of Marion is the incumbent in the district and has filed for reelection.
Peabody City Council approved the usual set of regulations regarding the discharge of fireworks in the city limits for Independence Day. Fireworks may be discharged inside the city limits July 1 through July 4, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. each day.
As of May 31, both Marion County Lake and Marion Reservoir are under advisory from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment for blue-green algae. Officials at both lakes are working to prevent cyanobacteria blooms in the future.
Weather changes do not keep wheat from moving in Marion County, it just moves in different ways. Hot, dry conditions inspired an early start to wheat harvest Memorial Day weekend, but several rainy days followed last week, shutting combines down in the fields but not trucks hauling grain out from elevators around the county. Cari Tippin, scale house worker at Cooperative Grain & Supply in Hillsboro, said on Friday that activity at the weigh station really slowed down when rain fell in the area.
A lot has changed in Rodney Williams’ life since he opened Williams Service in 1962. He married his wife, Twilah, started a family, moved the business, expanded it, then scaled back operations, all while semi truck technology has changed dramatically. One thing that has been steady for more than 40 of the 50 years he has been in business is his desk calculator. “It still adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides,” he said Monday.
Harold B. Jost, 97, of Hillsboro died May 30 at Salem Home in Hillsboro. He was born Oct. 30, 1914, in Hillsboro to John R. and Helena Baerg Jost. He was city clerk of Hillsboro.
Paul G. Reznicek was born July 22, 1920, in Irving, Kan., and departed May 22, 2012, in Littleton, Colo. He is survived by 5 children, 8 grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Paul was preceded in death his by wife of 59 years, Cecilia, and son, David. Paul was the son of Thomas Reznicek and Antonie Pallas Reznicek. He was the last survivor of their 12 children and their spouses. Paul served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and was interred at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.
Marion County government will be filled mostly with familiar faces in 2013 unless write-in candidates seek election. The deadline for candidates to file for county elected positions was noon Friday, and none of the races had more than one candidate file, and for all but one race, the incumbent was the only candidate.
A reader — and subject of a recent story — informed the newspaper late last week that she had received a couple of phone solicitations trying to sell her a plaque with a copy of the article featuring her. It isn’t the first time I’ve heard of such a sales pitch — we’ve received a few e-mails at the newspaper making similar offers — but this is the first time I’ve heard of phone calls with the sales pitch. With third parties now using more aggressive methods to push their plaques, I want to clear the air: Hoch Publishing Company and this newspaper have not given permission to any company to sell plaques with our articles on them. No company has even asked for permission.
I know the area farmers are pleased to have a good portion of their wheat safe in the bin. If I were a wheat farmer, I would be pleased. Marion County seems to have the most stellar looking fields this year. It has been a strange spring weather-wise and the early crops, wildflowers, fruit trees, and garden produce have been provided by a spectacular growing season that started earlier than any old timer remembers. Keep this in mind, youngsters — you might be a living legend in 60 or 70 years, telling about the one-time only Memorial Day weekend wheat harvest. However, I have so enjoyed watching the acres of grain ripen into postcard-image wheat fields, that I kind of hate to see harvest come to an end. I hope everyone got the photos they wanted of the back-40. I hope the Kansas Departments of Agriculture and Commerce and Tourism are out snapping shots of amber waves of grain even as I type. This season is image gold for many a travel magazine for years to come. Good for us!
HOPE IN THE HEARTLAND:
Lost and foundLEGISLATIVE UPDATE:
Redistricting maps unfinished
Marvin Pine — bassist for the Bluestem Band, the headliners for the Bluegrass at the Lake concert June 16 — described what it was like when the band nails a song in front of an enthusiastic audience. “If you’re an athlete and on a team, and you win,” he said. “It’s a great feeling.”
The Navajo United Methodist Center and New Beginnings work camp is Aug. 4 through 11 for sixth grade youth and adults. Eastmoor United Methodist Church in Marion is organizing a trip to Farmington, N.M. Fees are $150 per person per Work Camp week.
Descendants of the late Clyde and Maude (Way) Park had their 10th biennial family reunion May 27 in Cottonwood Falls. Seven of the 10 grandchildren were in attendance with their families. Attending the reunion were Ron and Ginger Slabaugh of Altamont, Kinsey Sexton of Joplin, Mo., Justin and Michelle Slabaugh of Osage City, Don and Eddie Ingalls of Strong City, Matt and Megan Murrell and Devin of Oskaloosa, Frank and Esta Meade of Topeka, C. William “Bill” and Donna Park of Sanger, Texas, Gary and Rose Bradfield of Texas,
The 116th Florence Alumni Banquet was May 26 at the Florence Gymnasium with 134 alumni, guests, and teachers attending. The banquet included guests all the way back to the class of 1943. Special recognition was given to the classes of 1947, 1952, 1957, and 1962, all seated at the head table, as well as 1967.
Karen (Heath) Knight, retired teacher for Shawnee Mission schools, has been selected as a professional member of Biltmore Who’s Who Executive and Professional Registry. The selection recognizes Knight’s commitment to excellence in education. Knight holds a bachelor’s degree from Baker University and a master’s degree in education from Webster University. She began her teaching career in the Shawnee Mission district in 1962.
CORRESPONDENTS:
Ammeter,
Burns
Kansas State University in Manhattan announced its spring 2012 semester academic honors on May 30, and many students from the Marion County area earned honors. To qualify for semester honors, a student must complete at least 12 hours of graded course work with a 3.75 or better grade point average. Students earning semester honors are commended by their college dean, and the honors are included on their permanent academic records.
Jerry and Sheila Thouvenell felt there was no other option. They never had a second thought. The couple is in the process of adopting their three granddaughters. The girls, ages 9, 7, and 6 are affectionately known as the flower girls — their names are Lilly, Rose, and Daisy. Adoption has been a tedious process. Sheila said they are through the first stage; hopefully they will be the girls’ adoptive parents by this coming fall.
Rannie Schmidt, 80, of rural Goessel is a team player. From his basketball playing days at Goessel High School in the late 1940s to his current occupation as maintenance and custodial worker at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, Schmidt enjoys the team-concept in all aspects of his life. “I really enjoy my work here at the church,” Schmidt said. “I like to mow, and I like the camaraderie of working with Phyllis and Harold.”
