PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

EMS bills baker for 'abusing' lifting services

Hillsboro cookie maker Martin Fent would have to sell about 10,000 Uncle Marty’s Cookies to pay a $2,000 debt he racked up for his alleged “abuse” of “assist only” ambulance calls to Marion County Emergency Medical Services. Fent doesn’t have 10,000 cookies and or anything else with which to pay the bill.

Officers show support for Janzens

When Duane McCarty got a call on Thanksgiving that he and Sergeant Larry Starkey should meet up with Marion Police Sergeant Mike Stone, he assumed it was routine business. It was anything but.

Keep those Christmas lights on

Residents of Peabody Care Center and Westview Manor will begin touring Peabody at 6 p.m. on Dec. 10 to view holiday lights and decorations all over town. The school district has donated buses and drivers to take the residents through Peabody neighborhoods and the downtown area.

Wall hanging winner revealed

Luba Holm-Brinkman was the winner Saturday of the Christmas tree wall hanging created and quilted by the Peabody Quilt Group. The group of women get together weekly during the year to create small and large quilts, place mats, novelty gift items, wall hangings, table runners, and other stitched and quilted items.

Stocking stuffers for Fido

Peabody City Clerk Stephanie Ax has announced that 2015 pet tags will be available Dec. 15 at the city office. “Just in time for Christmas — proof that you love your pet,” she said.

Concerned stepmother turns in stepson for marijuana

Charges are pending against a Hillsboro teen after a concerned stepmother turned in a small amount of marijuana to Hillsboro Police on Nov. 24. Although police have not yet confirmed the amount, Chief Dan Kinning said the teen’s stepmother allegedly confiscated about a quarter of an ounce.

Marion woman creates Santa spindles

Don’t throw away those old wooden spindles. Elaine Ewert of Marion can use them to create pieces of Santa art. Ewert was an art teacher for 15 years. She had a friend who collected Santas. One year, she gave Ewert the idea of painting Santas on spindles. The idea took root, and she has been doing it for more than 20 years.

Saying goodbye to her 'best friend'

Steve Janzen lay in a hospital bed Thanksgiving evening, his wife, Phoebe, and daughters Rachel and Amy, close by. As it had been for hours, his breathing was shallow and sporadic. Pain medication had left him mostly unaware of his surroundings all day. Unexpectedly, Phoebe noticed a tiny movement.

Santa is coming to Florence

The community of Florence will celebrate the coming of the Christmas season Saturday in the city building on Main. Caroling begins at 6 p.m. followed by a visit from Santa Claus at 6:30 p.m. Children are invited to come and tell Santa what they want for Christmas. Refreshments will be served.

Hillsboro man organizes charity event

Tom Kaufman of Hillsboro has never met Lauren Hill of Greendale, Indiana. Her cause and his life have practically nothing to do with each other. Yet after seeing the story of her battle against pediatric brain cancer through social media, Kaufman felt compelled to do something.

Former Centre superintendent visits White House

Jerri Kemble, former principal/superintendent of Centre schools, in November attended the first-ever National Connected Superintendents Summit hosted by President Barack Obama at the White House. Kemble was selected by the U.S. Department of Education among 100 school leaders from across America to participate and be recognized for their leadership in helping transition their school districts to digital learning.

Edward E. Parks, Sr.

Edward E. Parks Sr. died Nov. 26 in Kingman.

John W. Varelman

John Wayne Varelman, 79, of Lost Springs, died Nov. 26 at Medicalodges of Herington. He was born Feb. 26, 1935, to John and Clara E. Kettle Varelman of Emporia. Rusty and Eva Miller of Lost Springs raised him.

IN MEMORIAM:

Accidents reported

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County jail

Deeds recorded

Emergency dispatches

Fish & game

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Traffic division

Palomino looks at the world differently

Drivers passing the field along Remington Road just north of St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Pilsen can see a 36-year-old Palomino roaming through the grass. The Palomino, however, may not see them. Bojo, you see, has only one eye.

Centre horticulture class having a busy year

(This article was written by the 7th hour horticulture class at Centre High School.) At Centre High School, agriculture classes are the favorite classes to be enrolled in. Laura Klenda and Cherie Trieb are the teachers who help students learn agriculture fundamentals. We take agriculture very seriously, especially our horticulture class. We tend the garden, fruit trees, and plants in the greenhouse.

Milo piles up on the ground at northern grain elevators

Tampa and Lincolnville elevators once again have piles of milo on the ground. According to Agri Producers manager Stan Utting, milo harvest is almost complete, and the two sites have dumped more milo on the ground this year than last. Some of it had excess moisture and will be transferred to the elevators for drying when space becomes available.

Renegade cows vex farmers

Cows that escape from their farms might elicit a chuckle from drivers catching sight of a bovine in a ditch. But it’s no fun for the farmer. “It’s a just a hassle of them being out and I really don’t care for them 12 o’clock phone calls from dispatch,” said David Oborny, who has run a cow and calf operation for more than 30 years about five miles north of Marion.

Farmhands still play vital role in farm success

As advancing technology and enterprising research bring constant change to the farming industry, a basic tenet of the occupation remains unchanged: the need for help. Tending hundreds of acres of land, and sometimes hundreds of living animals can be too much for one person to handle. Even the modern farmer needs assistance.

So be there to applaud their efforts

This is the time of year when our young people participate in holiday programs and productions. It has been that way for decades and I expect it will continue to be so. Do we need to go and watch them perform? Yes, I think we do. When my mother was a first grader at a country school in Arkansas, her part for the school Christmas program was to be the “R” in a poem about Christmas. She worked and worked to memorize her “piece” and then forgot it all when it came time to speak. She looked from the stage into the audience of adults from her small community and could not utter a word. Her older brother came to her rescue and prompted her in a stage whisper with the words, “R is for…” and finally she spoke her part. “R is for ribbons and rings…” she said.

Steve won

We share with all humans two absolutes: we’re born, and we die. In between, our stories differ, but they all begin and end the same. Some stories, such as Steve Janzen’s, include a chapter titled “Cancer.” It’s a chapter no one wants to find in his or her story, a chapter riddled with words such as “battle” and “fight” as individuals struggle along with loved ones in the hope there’s another chapter yet to write and live. But when it’s the final chapter, it’s common for people to remark that the battle was lost.

Days of Yore

A card shower was requested for SP/4 Travis L. Davis who is stationed in Iraq. Tom and Susie Schmidt hosted a Christmas Open House Sunday afternoon for about 60 guests.

BURNS:

WONSEVU:

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