PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

Towns' legals may not be

A drive by Goessel and Hillsboro to dump local newspapers and publish official notices only on city-run websites may have run into a roadblock Tuesday. In attempting to circumvent laws regarding publication of legal notices, both cities adopted charter ordinances declaring their municipal websites to be newspapers.

Ex-reporter settles for $235,000 in raid case

Through its insurance company, the City of Marion has agreed to pay former Gruver’s suit alleged that Gideon Cody, who presided over the raids as Marion’s police chief, aggravated an injury to one of her fingers when he illegally yanked her personal cell phone out of her hand during the raid.

Chase over headlight ends in suicide

Having one headlight out is what prompted Newton police to try to pull over a Wichita man June 22. A lengthy chase ended with James Lightfoot, 38, driving his pickup into a pond near Marion Reservoir and shooting himself in the head.

Law pops a wheelie on kid in dune buggy

A 16-year-old Hillsboro boy who ignored a stop sign at Old Mill Rd. and US-56 and popped a wheelie with his dune buggy in front of an oncoming camper June 26 was located and ticketed Monday evening by Hillsboro police. Assistant Police Chief Randy Brazil said tips came in to police after people read an article about the incident in Marion County Record.

A sizzlin' start to the Fourth

Weather leading up to Independence Day may have been fit for neither man nor beast, but it was just right for kids taking a dip at Hillsboro’s pool, revelers setting off fireworks in Marion, and cattle seeking sheltering in shade south of Florence,. Tuesday featured both a heat advisory and a severe thunderstorm warning for the county. Temperatures approached 100, the heat index greatly exceeded 100, and then strong storms with winds of up to 70 mph swept across portions of the county, especially in the south.

Peabody loses another cop, is interviewing candidates

Having lost or fired seven key employees in less than three months, Peabody City Council members are interviewing candidates to replace them. They are in need of a public works director, a police chief, a city clerk, a municipal court clerk and police secretary, and a police officer.

County to draft resolution on 'land grab'

After discussing it for three months, county commissioners unanimously voted Monday to have county counsel Brad Jantz draft a resolution against a federal initiative opponents call “a land grab.” Whether the resolution will remain a resolution or become a policy statement to be sent to legislators was not decided.

Clerk properly appointed

Questions have been raised regarding interim county clerk Ashley Herpich’s appointment. State statutes used to require that anyone appointed to serve as interim county clerk must live in the county.

Hospital seeks protective zoning

St. Luke Hospital’s chief executive asked Marion City Council members Monday to use rezoning to discourage outside medical facilities from establishing competing facilities that might siphon off services the hospital depends on that to subsidize other services. Alex Haines said that when more profitable procedures are done elsewhere, the hospital must survive on income from services that make less profit.

Westview has unusual emergencies

Westview Manor in Peabody has been at the center of two unusual emergency calls in the past week — one in which nursing staff appeared to disregard instructions from dispatchers, and another in which staff did not respond to a call from dispatch after a fire alarm was reported. On June 26, personnel at Westview Manor called dispatchers to report that a patient was having difficulty breathing.

County to cut spending

With increased spending in most areas but less in some, county commissioners are proposing a budget $28,451 lower than this year’s. Most of the savings will come from having no capital project for a health department building, which last year accounted for $1,709,671.

Water again in violation, but error may be forgiven

Days after confusion over 2023 testing lapses was cleared up, Marion’s municipal water system once again has been found to have committed a “major” violation of testing standards. The city’s latest violations — one major, one minor — were noted June 10 and involve testing that should have been conducted in April.

IN MEMORIAM:

Recent rains wash away drought status

Successive months of improved rainfall have removed nearly all indications of drought or unusual dryness in Marion County. Only a narrow strip of the southwest corner of the county still counts as abnormally dry in the latest drought updates from the National Weather Service.

Celebrating Turkey Red wheat

What do you take with you when you travel? A suitcase? Extra clothes? A book to read? Today we’ll learn about a group of people who traveled halfway around the globe to Kansas 150 years ago.

Big yields, lower prices

With wheat harvest wrapping up, grain elevator managers are reporting taking in many more bushels than last year, when the harvest generally was quite poor. Lincolnville and Tampa Agri-Trails elevators each took in a little more than 1 million bushels. That compares with 734,000 bushels at Lincolnville and 640,000 bushels at Tampa a year ago.

Programs planned at Pioneer Bluffs

Programs on agriculture in central Asia and on classic depictions of the American Old West are planned for the next two Saturdays at Pioneer Bluffs, a historic ranch homestead eight miles south of Cottonwood Falls on K-177. Josh and Jim Hoy will report at 2 p.m. Saturday on their 2017 trip to Kyrgyzstan.

Accidents reported

Civil Division cases

County jail arrests and bookings

Criminal Division cases

Deeds recorded

Emergency dispatches

Offenses reported

Police activity reports

Traffic division cases

Don't be satisfied with lesser of two evils

Every four years, we Americans fret and fume over an idea credited to James Wilson, a prominent conservative lawyer who was one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and later became an associate justice of the Supreme Court. Wilson was the Constitutional Convention delegate who insisted on adding “We” to “We, the people” in the preamble to the Constitution.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

Author releases 7th book

Local author Thane Schwartz has released his seventh book, “Borehead’s Drift,” about a 150-mile trip down Arkansas River rapids in Colorado from the viewpoint of a Rocky Mountain pine borer beetle. The beetle’s ponderosa falls into the river, and he spirals down the middle of the creek on a piece of bark.

Republicans plan candidate forum

Republican candidates in the Aug. 6 primary will speak and answer questions at 3 p.m. July 14 at the county lake hall. Those whose names will be on the primary ballot have been invited.

Workshop to focus on preservation

A free workshop on preserving photos, documents, and other objects will be offered at 6:30 p.m. July 10 at Bill and Essie’s BBQ, 301 E. Main St., Marion. Marion County Historical Society will be host for the public event.

College degrees and honors

Senior center menus

MEMORIES:

Lanning looks back after Shrine game

His list of accomplishments would fill a Big Chief tablet, but one accomplishment will help define the stellar football career of former Marion Warrior Jack Lanning. “The 105 (yard) pick-six was one of the highlights of my high school career,” he said. “It was against Council Grove, and they had the ball on our 5, and the QB rolls out and tries to throw the ball over my head, and I jumped up and grabbed it.

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