PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

HEADLINES

Nuclear plant eyes reservoir
Evergy wants to buy 19% of Marion Reservoir’s conservation pool water to use for cooling basins at Wolf Creek nuclear power plant near Burlington. “That has never happened before,” Lisa Suderman, vice chairman of the Neosho Regional Advisory Committee, told county commissioners Monday.
Council member refuses to sign policy form
Marion City Council member Ruth Herbel has refused to sign a form agreeing to city policies and guidelines, arguing that the city isn’t following some of the rules anyway. To make her point, she crossed out a line on an acknowledgment form before she gave it Monday to city administrator Brogan Jones.
Errant sirens leave city howling
A tornado siren sounded for 15 minutes Tuesday morning in Marion. Although it confused residents, there was no danger. “They’re malfunctioning,” city administrator Brogan Jones said of the siren, which went off until 10:22 a.m. “Crews are out trying to figure it out.”
Turbines turning at new wind farm
If you thought you saw turbines at Sunflower Wind Farm rotating, it wasn’t your imagination. Many turbines now are turning in the wind, even though Orsted, the wind farm’s owner, doesn’t expect the farm to be fully operational until fall.
$6.3 million: 2,000 acres behind a single fence are up for sale
A Texas rancher has put 2,000 acres of land he owns northeast of Florence on the market for $6,361,000. That size property under one fence is rare, Jeremy Sundgren, associate broker at Sundgren Realty in El Dorado, said

OTHER NEWS

Commissioners push forward on hiring administrator
County commissioners will interview two of four recruiting firms that sent bids to recruit a county administrator. League of Kansas Municipalities bid $14,896 to $15,469 with no additional fees within a year.
Hillsboro says yes to fences, no to animals
Hillsboro property owners who want privacy fences along their side yards can now have them, but people who own agricultural land annexed into the city can no longer claim an agricultural exemption to city regulations. Those changes to city ordinance were made Tuesday during Hillsboro’s city commission meeting.
Apartments return above salon
Four studio apartments above what is now Silk Salon and Boutique sat empty for years. When Brent and Robin Miles bought the building at 125 E. Main St., they concentrated on the salon. They made improvements to a coin laundry and then began remodeling the studio apartments.
Splash pad, pool, to be memorials
Hillsboro’s two water attractions received new names Tuesday in honor of longtime city servants. “In the last few months, the community has lost two long-time leaders, Delores Dalke and Larry Paine,” city administrator Matt Stiles said. “The mayor and I have discussed possible ways to honor both Delores’s and Larry’s impact on the community.
Openness training redo sought
Marion Mayor David Mayfield said Monday that a recent training session on open meetings and open records wasn’t as informative as he had hoped. He suggested that the council look into training by the Kansas League of Municipalities. Lawrence media lawyer and Kansas Coalition for Open Government president Max Kautsch provided the recent training at vice mayor Ruth Herbel’s invitation. Other government bodies were invited to attend. Mayfield said he wanted any second training session to be for only the city.
City spends $200 on KSN promotion event
Marion paid $100 for face painting and $100 for a bounce house when KSN came to Marion for its Summer Road Trip earlier this month. That money came out of the city’s bed and breakfast tax, council member Ruth Herbel said.
Movies on Main to continue Friday
Movies on Main will show Disney’s “Big Hero 6” Friday. Organized by Bill & Essie’s BBQ and sponsored this week by St. Luke Hospital, the event is free. Movies are shown in a parking lot between the restaurant’s future location at 3rd and Main Sts. and St. Luke Auxiliary Shoppe.
Harvest turns out better for some
Alan and Neil Hett of Marion already had harvested 900 acres of wheat when they started on a 70-acre field Tuesday in river bottom north of Marion. Their harvest began several weeks ago, before the grain was dry, because it is stored in bins on the farm and can be air-dried before being sold. It averaged 45 bushels per acre and had a full test weight of 60 pounds.
Flowers a touchdown at football field
Mary Thiessen’s green thumb extends beyond her own home in Peabody. For four or five years, Thiessen has taken care of a garden at a football field in Peabody City Park. She planted perennials — flowers such as mums that return every year — in the northwest corner of the field.

DEATHS

Joyce Unruh
Services for Joyce Unruh, 83, who died Thursday at Bethesda Home in Goessel, were scheduled for 11 a.m. today at Goessel Church with pastor Brad Penner officiating. She was born Sept. 14, 1939, in Hillsboro to Albert and Irma (Richert) Duerksen.

DOCKET

EXPLORE

Antiquers: Making a pastime out of past times
“He can have two or three,” co-owner Dennis Maggard said as Cashton seemed to be having trouble choosing just one toy. Levi Spaich and Ryan Reau drove to Marion from Windom to look at antiques, especially machinery and implements.
Birders: Dedicated hobbyists flock to county's diverse habitats
Birding is a growing hobby that doesn’t require expensive equipment — though binoculars and guidebooks are helpful — or special skills. The county attracts birders from all over Kansas.
Anglers: Favorite sites at reservoir, lake lure fishermen to county
The father and son drive from Galva fairly regularly to fish at the lake — “whenever the wind is 15 mph or lower,” Mike Andreas said. They’d caught two bass in about an hour and planned to fish until about 9 p.m. that day.
Traditions: 102nd Fourth Fest highlights four days of events countywide
Already volunteers are cleaning up and preparing a round house at City Park. The round house is used to store frames used for fireworks ground displays. Ground displays have become scarce in recent years, and Peabody’s ground displays are one of the reasons the annual fireworks show brings viewers from far and wide, many coming from out of state to see the spectacle.
Exhibitors: Revitalized county fair hopes to Stirrup Some Fun
It takes all year to prepare for the fair, manager Michelle Hajek said. “It’s a work in progress,” Hajek said. “As soon as this one’s over, we’ll get started on next year’s.”
Pioneers: Visit county's historic Santa Fe Trail through a traveler's eyes
Overnight stops included Lost Spring and Cottonwood Crossing. The Cottonwood Crossing Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association has established kiosks at the Lost Spring and Cottonwood Crossing sites.
Rules for shooting your own vary by area
The county and its towns have different policies regarding fireworks: county Fireworks may be discharged on private property outside city limits and inside Lakeshore Dr. at Marion County Lake, but not at Marion Reservoir. Sales and discharge are allowed Today — 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday — 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Tuesday — 8 a.m. to midnight. July 5 — 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Retail sales require a $50 permit and a $500 cash bond. The county clerk’s office can provide more information. Burns Saturday through Tuesday — 8 a.m. to midnight. Durham Tuesday — 8 a.m. to midnight. Florence Through Monday — 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday — 8 a.m. to midnight. Goessel Saturday through Monday — Noon to 10 p.m. Tuesday — Noon to 11 p.m. Hillsboro Saturday through Monday — 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tuesday — 10 a.m. to midnight. Fireworks may be sold through July 5. Marion Fireworks may not be ignited within 1,000 feet of a hospital; 100 feet of a temporary fireworks stand, gas station, or flammable liquid storage facility; or 20 feet of a residence or other structure. Fireworks may not be discharged on city property. Sales and discharge are allowed Saturday through Monday — 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday — 9 a.m. to midnight.
Threshing Days to feature music, food, demonstrations
The Wichita band Haymakers will headline Goessel’s annual Threshing Days. The band will perform at 7 p.m. Aug. 4 in the high school auditorium. The band describes its music as “quality Kansas jam.” Band members are Dustin Arbuckle, vocals and harmonica; Thomas Page, guitar and harmony vocals; Dennis Hardin, mandolin and harmony vocals; and Caleb Drummond, upright bass and harmony vocals.
County lake plans 15th bluegrass festival
On tap to play are Fast Food Junkies, Mountain Deer Revival, Grody Riggins, Jenna and Martin, 80 Proof Engine, Prospect, and The Sassanachs. The first act Aug. 4 will start at 5:30 p.m., lake superintendent Isaac Hett said. Gates will open at 4 p.m. The first act Aug. 5 will start at 5:30 p.m., and gates will open at noon.
Weekend cruises scheduled monthly
Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce and community sponsors present a two-hour cruise from 6 to 8 p.m. the second Saturday of the month. From shiny rods to those that could win an ugly car contest, and every car and truck in between, the event features a meal, music, photo opportunities, soda, water, and treats.
Marion museum offers reading, crafts program
The first program will start July 11. Tuesday programs will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and be for children ages 5 to 8. That group will listen to “If You Were a Kid During the Civil War” by Wil Mara.
Farmers markets feature fresh food, crafts
Peabody also has farmers markets from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Monday through Labor Day. Peabody farmers markets are held downtown. At both, meals are sold by community organizations.

OPINION

Going forth on the Fourth
A day or two before the Fourth, if several decades of experience repeat, my mother, widow of a wounded World War II veteran, will receive an email containing a simple, heartfelt message. Amid stirring photos of monuments and tombstones will be five words from a now septuagenarian Belgian who somehow survived the Battle of the Bulge in 1944: “Thank you for our freedom!”
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
On the go

PEOPLE

Harvey House picnic serves it up hot
Phil Baldwin and Mike Warner dropped battered fish and mountain oysters into burning-hot oil Saturday to feed Florence residents and others at that town’s 24th annual Picnic on the Lawn. The temperature was nearly 90 degrees. But that didn’t stop Baldwin and Warner from cooking up grub.
Trip to D.C. was educational
Visiting Fort McHenry, where a War of 1812 battle inspired Francis Scott Key to write “The Star-Spangled Banner,” was a highlight of Centre student Karsen Kroupa’s all-expense-paid, eight-day trip last week to Washington, D.C. He returned Thursday from the trip, which he won in a competition sponsored by Flint Hills Rural Electric Cooperative. The utility serves much of rural Marion County.
Veteran receives 'Quilt of Valor'
He thinks he didn’t deserve it, but Francis Jirak of Tampa recently received a “Quilt of Valor.” “It was a total surprise,” he said.
Senior center menus
MEMORIES:
15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 110, 145 years ago

PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

Evergy wants to buy 19% of Marion Reservoir’s conservation pool water to use for cooling basins at Wolf Creek nuclear power plant near Burlington. “That has never happened before,” Lisa Suderman, vice chairman of the Neosho Regional Advisory Committee, told county commissioners Monday.

A tornado siren sounded for 15 minutes Tuesday morning in Marion. Although it confused residents, there was no danger. “They’re malfunctioning,” city administrator Brogan Jones said of the siren, which went off until 10:22 a.m. “Crews are out trying to figure it out.”

If you thought you saw turbines at Sunflower Wind Farm rotating, it wasn’t your imagination. Many turbines now are turning in the wind, even though Orsted, the wind farm’s owner, doesn’t expect the farm to be fully operational until fall.

A Texas rancher has put 2,000 acres of land he owns northeast of Florence on the market for $6,361,000. That size property under one fence is rare, Jeremy Sundgren, associate broker at Sundgren Realty in El Dorado, said

County commissioners will interview two of four recruiting firms that sent bids to recruit a county administrator. League of Kansas Municipalities bid $14,896 to $15,469 with no additional fees within a year.

Four studio apartments above what is now Silk Salon and Boutique sat empty for years. When Brent and Robin Miles bought the building at 125 E. Main St., they concentrated on the salon. They made improvements to a coin laundry and then began remodeling the studio apartments.

Marion paid $100 for face painting and $100 for a bounce house when KSN came to Marion for its Summer Road Trip earlier this month. That money came out of the city’s bed and breakfast tax, council member Ruth Herbel said.

Movies on Main will show Disney’s “Big Hero 6” Friday. Organized by Bill & Essie’s BBQ and sponsored this week by St. Luke Hospital, the event is free. Movies are shown in a parking lot between the restaurant’s future location at 3rd and Main Sts. and St. Luke Auxiliary Shoppe.

Mary Thiessen’s green thumb extends beyond her own home in Peabody. For four or five years, Thiessen has taken care of a garden at a football field in Peabody City Park. She planted perennials — flowers such as mums that return every year — in the northwest corner of the field.

Services for Joyce Unruh, 83, who died Thursday at Bethesda Home in Goessel, were scheduled for 11 a.m. today at Goessel Church with pastor Brad Penner officiating. She was born Sept. 14, 1939, in Hillsboro to Albert and Irma (Richert) Duerksen.

“He can have two or three,” co-owner Dennis Maggard said as Cashton seemed to be having trouble choosing just one toy. Levi Spaich and Ryan Reau drove to Marion from Windom to look at antiques, especially machinery and implements.

Birding is a growing hobby that doesn’t require expensive equipment — though binoculars and guidebooks are helpful — or special skills. The county attracts birders from all over Kansas.

The father and son drive from Galva fairly regularly to fish at the lake — “whenever the wind is 15 mph or lower,” Mike Andreas said. They’d caught two bass in about an hour and planned to fish until about 9 p.m. that day.

It takes all year to prepare for the fair, manager Michelle Hajek said. “It’s a work in progress,” Hajek said. “As soon as this one’s over, we’ll get started on next year’s.”

Overnight stops included Lost Spring and Cottonwood Crossing. The Cottonwood Crossing Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association has established kiosks at the Lost Spring and Cottonwood Crossing sites.

The first program will start July 11. Tuesday programs will meet from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. and be for children ages 5 to 8. That group will listen to “If You Were a Kid During the Civil War” by Wil Mara.

Peabody also has farmers markets from 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Monday through Labor Day. Peabody farmers markets are held downtown. At both, meals are sold by community organizations.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

Phil Baldwin and Mike Warner dropped battered fish and mountain oysters into burning-hot oil Saturday to feed Florence residents and others at that town’s 24th annual Picnic on the Lawn. The temperature was nearly 90 degrees. But that didn’t stop Baldwin and Warner from cooking up grub.

He thinks he didn’t deserve it, but Francis Jirak of Tampa recently received a “Quilt of Valor.” “It was a total surprise,” he said.

MEMORIES: