HILLSBORO Star-Journal

HEADLINES

Dogs kill sheep, bite pedestrian, kid on bike
Three attacks by dogs in the past week have raised concerns around the county. Two German shepherds running loose badly mauled a Peabody woman’s sheep last Wednesday. She’s worried other animals or children might be in danger.
Sending to know for whom the bell tolls
The bell at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lincolnville began ringing Thursday and seemed to go on forever. “I think the church bell broke,” a resident socially posted. “It just keeps going and going.”
Shortage of law enforcement officers grows
Marion police are now down two full-time officers and a third will be unavailable because of training. Bryant Edwards, who had been attending the state law enforcement academy, was let go because of unsatisfactory academic performance, interim chief Zach Hudlin said Monday.
Victim becomes suspect; Dispute over cell phone leads to arrest
A Marion woman who initially complained that her cell phone had been stolen ended up being arrested after she allegedly hit a male companion in the face. A dispute between the woman, her former husband, and her current companion resulted in two calls to the sheriff’s office Thursday.

OTHER NEWS

Marion to pay for shooting video of council sessions
Marion will pay Gene Winkler $25 a meeting to operate new cameras installed last month in the city council’s meeting room. Previously, meetings were recorded by police. All recordings are posted on a local-access cable channel television and YouTube.
Runway to become safer
Marion Municipal Airport’s runway, a safety concern for a year, will soon get repairs with help from a $122,025 grant from Kansas Department of Transportation to repair cracks in runway 17/35. Airport board members told the city council in May that the cracks were so large a plane lost its tail wheel and another blew out a tire. They range from 1 to 9 inches wide, with 20 to 30 of them termed “sizable. The worst are on the end where planes come down.
Housing project to get hearing
A proposed 24-unit housing development on Orchard Dr. just south of Dollar General will be the topic of a hearing March 21. “We are excited to be able to help address the need for affordable housing in the Hillsboro community,” Mennonite Housing chief executive Bryon Adrian said. “We look forward to developing a partnership with the community and to better understand how we can help out in the future.”
County pledges more money for more broadband
Two weeks after county commissioners pledged money and support to a broadband Internet project for the Burns area, they pledged money and support to a broadband project TCW plans to undertake for portions of the county west and east of Hillsboro. After hearing a presentation by TCT public relations director Angela Schwerdfeger, commissioners voted Monday to give $100 per residence in the area where TCW intends to install cable.
County will absorb increase in employee insurance
Despite an 18% increase in the cost of employee health insurance for next year, county employees will pay the same amount for their insurance. County commissioners voted Friday to keep employee contributions the same with the county absorbing $205,457.88 in added expense. Employees have three options on health insurance.
Peabody woman becomes frequent guest at jail
A Peabody woman arrested 27 times in Marion County since 2017 — four of those arrests this month — has a long history of charges. Lauren R. Wolf, 39, Peabody, was arrested Feb. 7 on suspicion of disorderly conduct and interference with law enforcement, then eight days later for failing to appear in court. Two days after her release from that arrest, she was arrested on suspicion of criminal trespassing. Then she was arrested again Feb. 25 by Peabody police, again on suspicion of criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct. She remains in jail in lieu of $5,000 surety bond.
Planting the seeds for a bad case of spring fever
With temperatures feeling much like spring, I am ready to start playing in the dirt and planting my garden. But, don’t get too excited. Spring is not yet upon us, and winter could show up again.

AROUND THE COUNTY

No one is immune to deer crashes
Sheriff’s deputy Joshua Meliza joined a not-too-elite club shortly before dawn Tuesday. Over the past 12 months, Marion County motorists have hit deer an average of once every 60 hours.
Clinic again ordered sold
A former Herington Hospital clinic in Hillsboro is back on the auction block, with a sheriff’s sale set for two weeks from now. The building, at 108, 112, and 114 S. Main St. in Hillsboro, was awarded Dec. 4 to Emprise Bank as part of a mortgage foreclosure. It was scheduled for a sheriff’s sale Jan. 25, but the day it was to be sold, lawyers for the bank called off the sale.
Herington to get new clinic
Memorial Health Systems of Abilene is preparing to open a medical clinic in May at 18 N. Broadway in Herington. “All staff has been hired,” marketing director Haley Jones said. “They are training in Abilene to make for a really smooth transition.”
Centre drops baseball purchase
Centre’s school board voted Monday to cancel purchase of up to $24,000 worth of baseball equipment because not enough students are interested in forming a team. The board also extended by one hour, until 6 p.m., to hours of the district’s new day-care center. To accommodate parents who have a distance to drive to pick up children after work.
Master's programs enroll 100
Tabor College has announced a record enrollment of 100 graduate students, evenly split between business administration and education curricula. In a release, college President David Janzen termed the record “a significant milestone.”
Author teaches kids to be kind
Hillsboro author Debbie Oelke is on a mission to teach children about people with disabilities. Her most important lesson: be kind.

DEATHS

Orman Balzer
Services for Orman Balzer, 89, who died Feb. 22 at Schowalter Villa in Hesston, will be 11 a.m. March 16 at Ridgepoint Church, Wichita. Born May 19, 1934, in McClusky, North Dakota, to Jacob and Olga (Winter) Balzer, he married Eleanor Claassen in 1959 in Hillsboro.
Betty Mueller
Services for Betty Lou (Popp) Mueller, 95, Tampa, who died Saturday at Marion Assisted Living, will be 10 a.m. March 13 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Tampa. Pastor Clark M. Davis will officiate. Relatives will receive friends 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Jost Funeral Home, Hillsboro.
'Gordon' Smith
Services for former Hillsboro businessman Leslie “Gordon” Smith, 84, who died Feb. 19 at his home in Newton, will be 11 a.m. March 14 at Meridian Baptist Church, Newton. Pastors Scott Kliewer and Caleb Wood will preside. Born April 9, 1939, in Independence, Missouri, Gordon attended school and was bused to Kansas City for high school.
IN MEMORIAM:
Esther Groneman

FARM

Repair business moving off the farm
A family-run implement and diesel repair shop in business five years has outgrown space on a family farm and is building a new shop in Hillsboro. Mike Morales operates This N That Farm on his farm at 1281 170th Rd. The shop repairs farm equipment of any kind as well as trucks, school buses, semis, power equipment, and pretty much any diesel equipment of any kind. The business also does welding, fabricating, and weld repairs.
Drought conditions improve
Although Marion County’s northwestern half continues to face moderate drought, the southeast half has improved to being merely abnormally dry, according to the National Weather Service. Its monthly climatology report, released last week, listed soil moisture in the county at near normal to slightly below normal.

FOR THE RECORD

OPINION

A note from Mr. McFeely
It’s the brightest of times. It’s the darkest of times. It’s the calendar of hope. It’s the politics of despair. Daylight time is poised to return at 2 a.m. Sunday, but our sunnier dispositions first will have to battle out from under a shadow cast by the start of early voting in Kansas’ presidential preference primary.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
Do you remember?
CORRECTIONS:
Scholarship, Book signing
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Slicing up the spam, Bravo, No Biden our time?, Expand Medicaid

PEOPLE

Writer focuses on recipes for older readers
Reminiscing about the past is one of Jennifer Hess’s favorite activities. So, it was only natural for her to accept a part in producing the bi-monthly magazine, Good Old Days. She is in charge of producing material for the three-page “Good Old Days in the Kitchen” section.
Seminars on avoiding scams planned
How to recognize and avoid email, phone, and text scams will be the topic of meetings March 20 at Hillsboro and Peabody senior centers. Corinne Petrik, managing attorney at Kansas Legal Services, will present “Avoiding Scams: Theft, Fraud, and Things that Go Bump in the Night,” at 10:30 a.m. in Hillsboro and 12:30 p.m. in Peabody.
Library prepares for quilt show
Twenty-five quilters from throughout the county have lent 32 quilts and wall hangings to Marion City Library for its 22nd annual quilt show March 18 to 30. More quilts continue coming in. The exhibition began when the library moved into Marion’s former Santa Fe depot.
Senior center menus
MEMORIES:
15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 110, 145 years ago

SPORTS

Trojans are back-to-back sub-state champions
Hillsboro is headed to the state tournament this week in Dodge City after the Lady Trojans repeated as sub-state champions by coasting to a 52-26 victory Saturday over Moundridge in Marion. Savannah Shahan led the team in scoring with 23 points, nine of them from beyond the three-point line.
Trojan boys fall in semifinal
After beating Berean Academy to advance in the sub-state tourney, Hillsboro’s boys fell 61-42 to Moundridge in the sub-state semifinals Friday. Moundridge went on to win the championship the next day. “Moundridge was a solid team,” Hillsboro coach Kyle Kroeker said. “We weren’t able to pull off an upset. “We battled to the very end, which we have proven to do all season long. We couldn’t overcome our turnovers.”

HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Three attacks by dogs in the past week have raised concerns around the county. Two German shepherds running loose badly mauled a Peabody woman’s sheep last Wednesday. She’s worried other animals or children might be in danger.

The bell at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lincolnville began ringing Thursday and seemed to go on forever. “I think the church bell broke,” a resident socially posted. “It just keeps going and going.”

Marion police are now down two full-time officers and a third will be unavailable because of training. Bryant Edwards, who had been attending the state law enforcement academy, was let go because of unsatisfactory academic performance, interim chief Zach Hudlin said Monday.

A Marion woman who initially complained that her cell phone had been stolen ended up being arrested after she allegedly hit a male companion in the face. A dispute between the woman, her former husband, and her current companion resulted in two calls to the sheriff’s office Thursday.

Marion will pay Gene Winkler $25 a meeting to operate new cameras installed last month in the city council’s meeting room. Previously, meetings were recorded by police. All recordings are posted on a local-access cable channel television and YouTube.

With temperatures feeling much like spring, I am ready to start playing in the dirt and planting my garden. But, don’t get too excited. Spring is not yet upon us, and winter could show up again.

Sheriff’s deputy Joshua Meliza joined a not-too-elite club shortly before dawn Tuesday. Over the past 12 months, Marion County motorists have hit deer an average of once every 60 hours.

Memorial Health Systems of Abilene is preparing to open a medical clinic in May at 18 N. Broadway in Herington. “All staff has been hired,” marketing director Haley Jones said. “They are training in Abilene to make for a really smooth transition.”

Tabor College has announced a record enrollment of 100 graduate students, evenly split between business administration and education curricula. In a release, college President David Janzen termed the record “a significant milestone.”

Hillsboro author Debbie Oelke is on a mission to teach children about people with disabilities. Her most important lesson: be kind.

Services for Orman Balzer, 89, who died Feb. 22 at Schowalter Villa in Hesston, will be 11 a.m. March 16 at Ridgepoint Church, Wichita. Born May 19, 1934, in McClusky, North Dakota, to Jacob and Olga (Winter) Balzer, he married Eleanor Claassen in 1959 in Hillsboro.

Services for Betty Lou (Popp) Mueller, 95, Tampa, who died Saturday at Marion Assisted Living, will be 10 a.m. March 13 at St. John’s Lutheran Church, Tampa. Pastor Clark M. Davis will officiate. Relatives will receive friends 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Jost Funeral Home, Hillsboro.

IN MEMORIAM:

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

CORRECTIONS:

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

Reminiscing about the past is one of Jennifer Hess’s favorite activities. So, it was only natural for her to accept a part in producing the bi-monthly magazine, Good Old Days. She is in charge of producing material for the three-page “Good Old Days in the Kitchen” section.

Twenty-five quilters from throughout the county have lent 32 quilts and wall hangings to Marion City Library for its 22nd annual quilt show March 18 to 30. More quilts continue coming in. The exhibition began when the library moved into Marion’s former Santa Fe depot.

MEMORIES:

Hillsboro is headed to the state tournament this week in Dodge City after the Lady Trojans repeated as sub-state champions by coasting to a 52-26 victory Saturday over Moundridge in Marion. Savannah Shahan led the team in scoring with 23 points, nine of them from beyond the three-point line.