PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

Numbers dropping at Peabody-Burns

This year’s enrollment at Peabody-Burns school is down eight students from a year ago. Superintendent Ron Traxson gave his assessment of where the district is headed during last week’s school board meeting.

Audit shows $14.7 million cash in county coffers

Marion County holds millions of dollars in unencumbered cash, the county’s auditor reported Monday, confirming an issue raised in recent budget discussions. The county’s annual audit identified $14.7 million in unencumbered cash at the end of 2016. Accountant Scot Loyd of Swindoll, Janzen, Hawk & Loyd presented the report, which also identified several deficiencies, to commissioners.

Orange and black impostors flutter through Marion County

Swarms of orange and black butterflies are fluttering through the county, but do not be fooled. These are not monarchs. “These butterflies look very different from monarchs,” said K-State entomology extension leader Raymond Cloyd. “They should be easy to tell apart, even for a novice.”

K-150 accident victim leaves behind a legacy of helping

Steve Smith of Spring Hill got the call Saturday no parent ever wants to get. His 22-year-old daughter, Brooke, had been killed in an accident in Marion County on K-150 just east of Yarrow Rd.

Scouts get partner in food drive

Peabody Boy Scouts will have a helping hand with their annual food drive Saturday. Members of Troop #108 will be collecting bagged food from front porches beginning at 9 a.m. Nonperishable items such as soups, canned vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, spaghetti and sauce, canned meats, boxed meals, beans, cereal, and oatmeal should be placed in plastic bags and placed so they are visible from the street.

Washburn busy writing defense motions

A man awaiting Oct. 24 trial on county charges that were allegedly part of a multi-state crime spree ending in his February arrest in Arizona is filing his own motions in court despite the fact he claims to be happy with court-appointed defense attorney Gary Price. Allen D. Washburn, 36, is charged with residential burglary, two counts of felony theft, damage to property, and misdemeanor theft.

Fix for 330th Rd. on horizon

Darin Neufeld of EBH Associates updated commissioners Monday on bidding for the 330th Rd. project. He said there has been a lot of interest in the work among contractors. After opening bids on Sept. 28, if commissioners choose a slurry base, contractors could start their work in about a week, Neufeld said. It would take two to three weeks for the base, and another two to three for an asphalt overlay. The entire eight-mile stretch could be done in six weeks, he said, minus striping.

Supreme Court session slated for Emporia

Two cases on the docket of the Kansas Supreme Court will be heard Oct. 3 at Emporia State University. The cases will be heard from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in Webb Hall on the second floor of Memorial Union. An informal reception will follow in the Webb Hall lobby.

Dorothy Delk

Family services for former nurse Dorothy Louise (Rhodes) Delk, 83, of Hillsboro, who died Sept. 11, will be at noon Friday at Petersen Funeral Home, Newton. A graveside committal service will follow at 2 p.m. at Maize Park Cemetery, Maize. Born Feb. 4, 1934, to Oren and Betty Blevins in DeGraff, she was married to John W. Rhodes from 1952 to 1996, and Bob Delk from 2000 to 2017.

IN MEMORIAM:

Accidents reported

Criminal division cases

County jail bookings

Deeds recorded

Domestic cases

Emergency dispatches

Marriage licenses granted

Offenses reported

Police incident reports

Traffic division cases

Children learn the importance of a healthy lifestyle

Imagine walking into a larger than life mock-up of the various parts of a body and learning what happens to food as it enters and travels through the body. Centre kindergarten through sixth grade students learned the importance of good nutrition choices last week by walking through a Body Venture 50-foot-long exhibit of connected shapes and sizes, representing various parts of the human body.

Addictions support group fueled by faith

Val Newton has been to the mountaintop, and he’s trudged through the valley of addiction. Today he tries to walk the high road in faith, and wants to help others with similar challenges. The former Good News Christian Fellowship pastor and co-facilitator Chandra Morris are bringing Celebrate Recovery, a Christ-centered recovery program, to the county.

Never a stranger

Emporia State student Brooke Smith was anonymous to us as she drove through the county Saturday on what was to be a surprise visit to her brother in Lindsborg. Like countless others, she was just an unknown figure in an unfamiliar car speeding by on the highway. When a 15-year-old driver inexplicably crossed the center line of K-150 Saturday night, 22-year-old Brooke became tragically relevant to us when she died instantly in the resulting collision. A name, a statistic, and when people heard about the accident, someone they naturally hoped would be “not us.”

Playing your cards

My mother was raised in a card-playing household. Every Sunday after dinner the cards would come out, along with the cigarettes, and the uncles would be shuffling cards as the air turned blue with smoke. In a family sired by the most opinionated and argumentative of men, there were bound to be disagreements. As the girls cleaned up after the meal, my mother could hear the arguments going on from the kitchen, behind the veil of tobacco smoke, and vowed that this would never happen in her household when she had a family of her own. It didn’t.

Dry cleaning, a small piece of a full-service pie

Billy and Donna Rosiere have been in the service field all of their adult life, and operating Marion Dry Cleaning and Laundry is no different. They work long days and long hours, sometimes even weekends, to provide customers with a multitude of services. They often go out of their way to pick up and deliver items.

County kids to show at state junior livestock show

Tayle Black, 8, of Marion, is not afraid to get a little muddy when preparing her two pigs, a cross bred and a berkshire, for Kansas Junior Livestock Show. “It gets really messy,” Black said. But that’s okay, she said, because washing them is actually her favorite part.

Second-grader is top mutton buster

Tucker Weber climbed up onto the back of his sheep, wrapped his arms around its neck, hooked his feet around the sheep’s belly, and prepared to hold on tight. Really tight. Tucker, the 2017 mutton bustin’ state champion from Cedar Point, competed against 45 other children from across the state during the Kansas State Fair Mutton Bustin’ Championships after he qualified during Florence Labor Day’s mutton bustin’ competition.

Arts grants open

An artistic project for cultural and economic vibrancy or arts integration in the community could get launch money from one of two state grant programs. Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission is accepting applications for its strategic investment and arts integration programs.

All-School reunion this weekend

Alumni from Hillsboro High School will gather this weekend during the annual All-School Reunion. On Friday, alumni will sit down for school lunch in the school’s cafeteria and attend the homecoming football game.

Early registration for Heart and Sole 5K ends Friday

Runners and walkers in Hillsboro Community Hospital’s third annual Heart and Sole 5K on Oct. 7 will help raise money for two causes. Fifty percent of proceeds will go to Colton Rempel and his fight against cancer. The remainder will go toward the hospital’s dietary and physical therapy departments.

Kiwanis preps for Old Settlers' Day

Marion Kiwanis Club members are preparing for Old Settlers’ Day. Casey Case said at Tuesday’s meeting that last year’s parade went smoothly because of the impending rain. The parade list, which is not finalized, includes participating Marion High School classes dating back to 1947, which is celebrating its 70th reunion. From ’47 on, only two classes are currently missing: ’87 and ’12.

Senior center menu

WONSEVU:

BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENT:

Warriors stymied by Eagles 46-0

Peabody-Burns football fans had a good view of a beautiful sunset from the east bleachers at Canton on Friday, small consolation for the 46-0 pasting their Warriors received from Canton-Galva. Things turned sour for Peabody-Burns on the Eagles’ first play from scrimmage when Landon Everett squirted through the left side of the line and bolted 53 yards for a touchdown. A successful two-point conversion gave Canton-Galva an 8-0 lead just 21 seconds into the contest.

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Big Truck Night to be Thursday

Youth who enjoy tractors, semi trucks, and fire trucks can attend Big Truck Night from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Hillsboro Elementary School. There will be big trucks, tricycle riding, toy trucks, community resources, and safe kids information for kids up to age 5. Gifts and refreshments will be provided.

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