PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

Newell pleads guilty to 2 counts

Kenneth Newell, a former emergency dispatcher accused of raping and fondling a child under 14 years of age and intimidating a witness, pleaded guilty Tuesday to two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child as part of a plea agreement. In exchange for the guilty plea, 11 charges, including the rape charge, the witness intimidation charge, and nine charges of lewd fondling or touching, were dismissed with prejudice.

Police to get new car soon

Council members approved the purchase Monday night of a 2015 Dodge Charger for the Peabody Police Department at a cost of $25,795. The vehicle will be paid for in two installments. The first payment of $13,150 will be made from this year’s budget and the remaining balance will be paid from the 2016 budget.

Peabody Care Center is now Peabody Health and Rehab

At the top of the list of changes for the company that took over management and operations of Peabody Care Center LLC was a name change. Mission Health Communities LLC, the new provider, changed the name to Peabody Health and Rehab. Mission Health Communities LLC is a premier provider of Senior Living and Skilled Rehabilitation Communities in the southeast and Midwest.

Commissioners defend tax rebate: 'We're not the IRS'

In speaking with the appraiser’s office at their Monday meeting, County Commissioners Randy Dallke and Dan Holub defended their granting tax rebates that directly violated the parameters outlined in the application for said rebates. Specifically, commissioner Randy Dallke referenced a Marion County Record editorial that criticized the decision last week.

Monthly jam session takes root in Marion

If you happen to wander by Marion Community Center and hear live music, don’t call the police. That is, unless it’s to invite them to play with the coterie of musicians who recently relocated their open jam circle to the ballroom there. Guitarists Mike Moran and Galen Obermeyer, bassist Doug Kjellin, mandolin player Jim Versch, and fiddler Mark Wilcox are some of the usual suspects who rally at open jam sessions.

County reverses course on Lois Ln. houses

In a decision deemed the lesser of two evils, the County Commission voted to keep the addresses in the Wildin Subdivision at the county lake the same, with the caveat that residents will be required to make their addresses visible from the road on both Lakeshore Drive and Lois Lane. There had been debate over whether the Lakeshore Drive houses should become Lois Lane addresses, which is where commissioners were leaning before experiencing pushback in a previous meeting.

Florence Chamber of Commerce meets

The monthly meeting of the Florence Chamber of Commerce was held Thursday. Minutes from last meeting and treasurer’s report were approved. The annual Easter egg hunt in Grandview Park will be 11 a.m. Saturday, April 4. Children 12 and under may participate. The Easter Bunny also will be there to visit with the children. Children may register to win one of two Easter baskets full of goodies.

Calendar of events

Serene questions FACT funding

County Health Department Administrator Diedre Serene had a simple question for commissioners Monday: How was the $6,000 county allotment for Families and Communities Together to be paid? Commissioners voiced support for the funds at an August meeting with four FACT representatives, but FACT Director Ashlee Gann said Tuesday they’re still waiting on a check.

Cindy's cafe seized again for late taxes

A large red sign in the window of Cindy’s Family Café proclaims in bold script, “Patience is such a waste of time.” The Kansas Department of Revenue agreed Monday, as department personnel and Marion police put up two new yellow signs with one word dominating the rest: “SEIZED.”

Ambitious teen mentored by veterinarian

Hillsboro High School senior Valerie Klassen wants to be a veterinarian. Since she was young, it’s something she has always known and has always wanted to do. When Jessica Winter took ownership of Hillsboro Animal Clinic and was seeking new personnel last year, Valerie was dead set on working there.

Youth soccer returns to county thanks to Tabor women's team

Marion County had a problem, and Ian Thompson had the know-how — and a roster full of women with free time in the spring — to fix it. The Tabor women’s soccer team, through the Hillsboro Recreation Commission, will bring youth soccer back to Marion County in the form of a six-week academy-style program that will begin in late March and last into early May.

Accidents reported

Civil division

County jail

Criminal division

Deeds recorded

Emergency dispatches

Fish and game division

Police reports

Traffic division

Farmers swap stories at ag meeting

Talk to farmers about past experiences, and one receives a variety of responses. The farmers who reminisced Saturday at the Agri Producers, Inc. annual meeting in Tampa talked about weather, the economy, and old times.

Local wheat goes global

Marion County wheat could soon find its way into bakeries in Havana, Cuba, if recent efforts to lift the 53-year-old trade embargo with the island nation are successful. Paul Penner of Hillsboro hopes they are. Penner has grown wheat since the late 1970s, and for more than a decade, he’s worked with state and national organizations to promote wheat and open new markets. Penner just completed a term as president of the National Association of Wheat Growers, which has advocated opening the Cuban market.

It's time to set the Flint Hills on fire

Marion County ranchers are not to be confused with hillbilly pyromaniacs. From March into May, land owners will be setting their pastures ablaze. Some do it to clear brush, others to clear pasture.

Farmers like fluidized lime for no-till fields

Dry lime is a product that is spread on farm fields to neutralize the soil and make it more productive. It is broadcast and needs to be incorporated into the soil to begin working. Chuck Seifert of Marion uses “fluidized lime” on his 2,300 no-till acres. The lime is purchased through and applied by Ag Services, Inc. of Hillsboro.

Happy to support the home teams

Bummer of a college basketball weekend in Kansas, wasn’t it? I kept thinking I should hang a banner from the front porch for Kentucky or something, just so I could be backing a winning team. Weekends like this, I feel like the losses are all my fault – like it would be better if I was watching some zombie show or perhaps another sport such as skiing. Perhaps I should pretend to not care how our college basketball teams are faring. Actually that is a bit of an exaggeration. I really do not think I have any influence over such things. However, I do love college basketball and I truly enjoy games that feature Kansas universities. It is painful when they lose!

Acts of commission

Our papers made impressions on at least two readers last week — county commissioners Dan Holub and Randy Dallke. The pair took time during Monday’s meeting to protest our commentary last week about their decision to ignore the rules of the neighborhood revitalization program to approve an application for property tax rebates that was more than 240 days late and submitted after construction, not before.

Days of Yore

Frances Skinner will celebrate her 90th birthday with a reception from 2 to 5 p.m. April 3 at the Peabody United Methodist Church. Burns native Brice B. Durbin will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame during ceremonies slated for April 16 in Wichita.

Bowl for Kids' Sake fundraiser is Friday

Those looking for a little family fun and a chance to support the Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program in Marion County should consider signing up for the annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake fundraising event at Sher Bowl Lanes in Marion. Balls roll at 9 p.m. Friday.

BURNS:

Return to current issue