HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Farmers market starts in Hillsboro

It was hot in the Emprise Bank courtyard Thursday, but vendors at the Hillsboro Farmers Market seventh season opening had a good evening selling their wares and visiting with customers. “People are still trying to find us in our new location,” Hillsboro Famers Market organizer Joni Calam said. “But the vendors did very well and were pleased with their outcome.”

Boese, Soller renovate Goessel cafe

Their goal is good food, fast; their projected opening date is sometime in October, definitely by Goessel’s annual fall Harvest Festival. Not a day goes by, however, that Rod Boese and Ron Soller are not fielding questions about what is happening at the former beauty shop/café building at 106 N. Cedar in Goessel. “Everyone wants to know what we are doing and when it’s going to be open,” Soller, a maintenance worker at Goessel’s Bethesda Home said. “Every day someone asks me when it’s going to be open. But there is a lot we have to get done here first.”

Maggard to retire from county clerk

County Clerk Carol Maggard said May 2 that she will not run for reelection to the position she has held almost 16 years. Maggard joined county government as deputy county clerk in 1985. After 11 years in the clerk’s office, she was elected county clerk in 1996. That was the only election Maggard had competition in — from a coworker in the clerk’s office.

Public residency rules vary

Although Marion City Council abolished a policy requiring several appointed officials live in or near the city at its April 30 meeting, several comparable cities in the area have more stringent policies than the one Marion eliminated. Although Mayor Mary Olson and council member Todd Heitschmidt expressed concern about eliminating the policy, the council unanimously agreed with City Attorney Keith Collett’s recommendation to abolish the policy and seek to hire the best people, regardless of residency.

Bird watching comes naturally

Sometimes all it takes to be a bird-watcher is a good location. Maggie Schroeder and family found they had that just by looking out their farmhouse windows six miles west of Hillsboro. “Ever since we moved here a few years ago I’ve noticed the birds,” Schroeder said. “There are more here than just your normal varieties. Just last year I put out a hummingbird feeder. I was sitting at our kitchen table with my mom and just caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. It was so exciting to see a hummingbird. I guess that’s when I realized I was an official bird nerd.”

Randall Cochran

Randall A. Cochran, 61, of Hillsboro died April 30, 2012, at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita. He was born March 5, 1951, in Bentonville, Ark. He married Terry D. Roth on July 16, 1974, in Wichita.

Raymond B. Davidson

Raymond B. Davidson, 92, died at Asbury Park in Newton on May 6, 2012. He was born September 28, 1919, in Walnut to James E. and Mary Etta Boyd Davidson. While he was growing up, the family lived on several farms in southeast Kansas and near Clinton, Okla.

Velma Decker

Velma Decker, 73, of Lehigh died May 7, 2012, in Lehigh. She was born Sept. 19, 1938, in Neodesha to Fred J. and Anna (Ratzlaff) Nightengale. She was a home school teacher and homemaker. She married Ken Decker on Jan. 11, 1959, in Canton. He survives of the home.

Evelyn Ruth Delk

Evelyn Ruth Delk, 93, of Hillsboro died May 1, 2012, at Via Christi St. Francis in Wichita. She was born Dec. 19, 1918, in Hillsboro to John W. and Martha (Schroeder) Warkentin. She worked as bookkeeper for Hillsboro Locker.

Betty I. Duerksen

Betty I. Duerksen, 80, of Hillsboro died May 7, 2012, in Hillsboro. She was born Sept. 20, 1931, in Peabody to Bert and Viola (Honn) Fox. She was a restaurateur. She married Clarence Duerksen on June 13, 1950, in Arkansas.

Robert Bob Fenstermacher

Robert “Bob” Fenstermacher, 86, of Hillsboro died May 5, 2012, in Hillsboro. He was born June 5, 1925, in Three Rivers, Mich., to Immanuel and Bertha (Hazzard) Fenstermacher. He was a banker and a pastor.

Knuth W. 'Kutie' Hawkinson

Knuth W. “Kutie” Hawkinson, 83, of Herington died May 4, 2012, at Salina Regional Health Center. He was born April 23, 1929, on a farm near Burdick to Axel W. and Mabel V. (Olson) Lundman Hawkinson. He grew up on a farm between Burdick and Lost Springs and attended Lone Star County School north of Burdick.

Victor Leon Lais

Victor Leon Lais was born on May 15, 1937, at home in Marion, Kan., to Victor Emmanuel Lais and LaVaune Sarah (McKibbin) Lais. Together, Leon and Donella had two daughters, DaLonna (Del) Schroeder, Hesston, and DaNaye Bowyer (partner Ernie Aragon), Newton. Their family would continue to grow with the births of the three granddaughters, Ashley (Garrett) Crider, Erin Schroeder, and Caitlin Bowyer. In 2011, Brently Michael Crider was welcomed into the family as the first great-grandchild.

Julietta Rose Pelz Seiler

Julietta Rose (Pelz) Seiler, 84, of Colwich died May 3, 2012. She was a homemaker. She married James Seiler on April 25, 1949. She was a member of Sacred Heart Parish in Colwich and St. Anne Altar Society.

Wesley White Sr.

Wesley C. White Sr., 66, of Woodbine died May 6, 2012, in Salina. He was born Sept. 16, 1945, in Lumberton, N.C., to Murris and Elizabeth (West) White. He served in the U.S. Army until his retirement as a staff sergeant in 1986 at Fort Riley. He later worked in supply on the Army post. He married Goldie F. Wheeler-Morton on Oct. 13, 1970, in Poplar Bluff, Mo. She survives of the home.

Accidents reported

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Emergency dispatches

Hillsboro police

Peabody police

Traffic cases

Commissioner wants honest budget requests

Marion County Commissioners began the meeting Monday by setting a time for a pre-budget setting meeting with department heads July 19. Commissioner Randy Dallke said he wants department heads to be honest about what they need.

County election filing deadline is June 1

The deadline for Marion County residents to file as candidates in county elections is noon June 1. All county government elected positions will be up for election, except for Roger Fleming’s County Commission position representing the First District. Candidates have two options for filing — paying a fee based on the salary of the position or filing a signed petition and a smaller fee. The number of signatures required on a petition varies based on the position and which party’s nomination the candidate is seeking.

Retaining walls need to meet license requirements

Marion County Planning and zoning director Tonya Richards asked the Marion County Commission on Monday about creating a license for the construction of retaining walls. Walls in several locations at Marion County Park and Lake have created issues. One wall in the Wildin subdivision is leaning and looks like it could fall over at any moment. Other walls off Jerome are located in county road right-of-ways, blocking potential construction. Other retaining walls land on the other side of private property.

Public employees should live where they serve

Marion City Council wasn’t wrong April 30 when it voted to abolish a policy requiring certain appointed officials to live close to the city, but they weren’t strictly right either. The question of requiring public employees to live where they serve is a question about priorities, rather than a question of right or wrong. It is a balancing act between hiring the people with the best qualifications for the job and providing an extra level of connection to the people they serve — being in the same boat as the community members affected by decisions.

BALANCING ACT:

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:

Conservation cost-share programs available

The Marion County Conservation District has announced a new signup period for water resources and non-point source cost-share practices. Both programs are funded through the Division of Conservation and are administered by the Marion County Conservation District. The water resources program promotes soil and water conservation, and the non-point source program focuses on water quality protection practices.

Fish hobby fills spring hours

Mark Hajek of rural Marion works full-time in Wichita as an electronic engineer, but when he heads for home, particularly in spring, it is likely he has fish farming on his mind. “I enjoy watching the ponds broil when they feed,” Hajek said. “The water just comes alive.”

Tampa gets sign grant

The City of Tampa has been awarded a $4,500 grand to purchase and install more than 60 street signs throughout the city, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development announced Monday. The grant was funded through Rural Development’s Community Facilities Program. The program aims to help finance essential community facilities for public use.

Voth sisters named alumnus award winners

The Bethel Deaconess Hospital/Bethel College Nursing Alumni Association named Marie and Martha Voth of North Newton its Outstanding Alumnus Award winners for 2011-12. The Voth sisters grew up in the Goessel community. Though now retired in North Newton, they are lifelong members of and still attend Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church in Goessel.

ANNIVERSARY:

CORRESPONDENTS:

Unruh wins 1st, leads Goessel ag team to second at state

Austin Unruh, a Goessel High School senior won first place last week in the state FFA agriculture mechanics competition in Manhattan. Like the other senior members of the Goessel FFA team which took second overall, he has grown-up driving, working on, and getting greasy from tractors and farm equipment for as long as he can remember. “I’ve always helped my dad,” Unruh said. “I enjoy operating the equipment and working on it.”

Runner visits Peabody schools

Peabody residents and people from the surrounding area might have noticed a man pushing a strange looking stroller that sported a large American flag on Friday. Chris Nicholas recently experienced his first trip to Kansas while running an impressive 2,800 miles across the U.S. to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network. The funds he is raising on his journey will be donated to hospitals and stay in the local area of wherever the money is donated from.

Dick shoots career low for Hillsboro golf

Hillsboro High School golfer Devin Dick shot the best round of golf in his career Friday during the Marion County Invitational tournament. Dick scored a 78 in 18 holes at Marion. He shot 39 on each nine hole stretch. It was the first time Dick had ever broke 80 in 18 holes.

Shewey and Faber qualify for state tennis

Something that rarely occurs in high school tennis happened in the fifth place match Friday at the regional tennis tournament in Hillsboro — two teammates were matched up against each other. To the relief of both Hillsboro tennis players Grant Shewey and Harry Faber, the match only mattered for seeding at state, the top six players in the regional advance, and pride.

Goessel track teams place 5th

Several girls picked up points in track events for the first time this year as Goessel scored 53 team points to pick up fifth place out of eight schools at the Herington Invitational Track Meet on Friday. Lara Schmid picked up her first point of the season by placing sixth in the 200 meter dash. Makayla King and Erin Brubaker earned points in three individual events.

GHS golf team wins league challenge

The Goessel High School golf team placed first on Monday in the WSL/HOPL Golf Challenge in Hesston. Shane Goerzen won the tournament with an 86. Trey Schmidt finished second in the tournament with an 88. Stephen Goertzen placed fifth with a 93. Braden Unruh placed ninth with a 99. Tyler Schulz shot a 104. Dan Smucker shot a 111.

Koons leads Hillsboro softball team

It was appropriate that Sammy Koons scored the game-ending run in the second game against Marion Friday in Hillsboro on senior night. She had a great game. Taking home on a wild pitch was Koons’ third run scored in the contest. Earlier in the inning, she reached base with a 2-RBI single that scored Stephanie Sanders and Kalie Siebert. Hillsboro won 14-4 in the second game and won the first game 18-1.

Trojan baseball splits with Marion

The Hillsboro High School baseball team split games with Marion on Friday in Marion. Pitcher David Nelson was the player of the game for Hillsboro in the first game, a 6-2 Trojan victory.

Trojan tracksters score at Hesston

The Hillsboro High School boys track team placed sixth out of 11 teams Thursday at the Hesston Invitational tournament. The girls team finished eighth. The Trojans scored four first place finishes. Emily Sechrist won the 3,200-meter run with a time of 11 minutes, 47.18 seconds; she also placed second in the 1,600, 5:23.98. Aaron Slater won the shot put with a throw of 43 feet, 10 inches. Callie Serene won the 800, 2:26.35. The boys 4x800 team of Josh Richert, Grant Knoll, Avery Franz, and Bret Mueller won that race with a time of 8:34.88. results Boys High jump: 3. Jesse Brown, 6-2. Long jump: 2. Shaq Thiessen, 21-8.25. Triple jump: 5. Franz, 40-2.5. 3,200: 4. Knoll, 11:04.02. Girls High jump: 5. Heather Mayfield, 4-8. Pole vault: 4. Ashley Bartel, 7-6. Discus: 4. Kiara Espada, 101-1; 6. Morganne Hamm, 92-11.5.

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