BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
Beaches at Marion County Park and Lake and Marion Reservoir are open again, but both lakes remain under a blue-green algae advisory. Kansas Department of Health and Environment downgraded the status of the lakes from “warning,” which triggered the closing of beaches at both lakes.
The graduating class of Hillsboro High School consisted of 41 students. Many of those students were acknowledged as winning awards and scholarships at the graduation ceremony Saturday at Joel H. Wiens stadium. Graduation awards President’s Award for Educational Excellence: Amy Bartel, Devin Dick, Nicholas Ediger, Micaela Hinerman, Aaron Klassen, Katherine Kliewer, Benjamin Loewen, Grant Shewey, Allison Troyer, and Courtney Weber. Kansas State Scholars: Bartel, Loewen. Kansas Board of Regents Scholars: Bartel, Dick, Hinerman, Loewen, Bret Mueller, Katherine Pritchard, Troyer, Weber. Outstanding math and science award: Troyer. C.M. Sextro Academic Scholarship for Mathematics ($1,250): Loewen. USD 410 Hillsboro Education Association Scholarship ($300): Loewen. Alpha Omega Incentive Award ($500): Weber. American Legion Post No. 366 Scholarship ($500 each): Dick, Callie Serene. Dale Dennis Excellence in Education Award ($200): Loewen. The Built Ford Tough-FFA Scholarship ($1,000): Aaron Klassen. Paul Rundstrom Memorial Scholarship ($500): Dick. Earl Wineinger Scholarship ($500): Klassen. Hillsboro Lions Club Scholarship ($500 each): Dick, Krista Reimer. Lang Diesel and FFA Scholarship ($1,000): Kyler Borg, Olivia Kliewer. Hillsboro Medical Center Auxiliary Scholarship ($500): Bartel. Linda J. Johnson Scholarship ($2,500): Weber. KSHSAA Awards ($250 each): Reimer, Weber. Wiebe Good Citizen Scholarship ($2,500 each): Reimer, Weber. Honors: Dick, Samantha Ens, Alexandra Kruse, Luke Moore, Mueller, David Nelson, Amanda Pickens, Serene. High Honors: Bartel, Nicholas Ediger, Hinerman, Klassen, Katherine Kliewer, Loewen, Pritchard, Reimer, Shewey, Troyer, Weber.
Two longtime favorite former USD 410 employees will be honored Saturday as alumni of Hillsboro High School gather for their annual All-School Reunion banquet at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church. Registrations for the event continue to trickle in, Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce office manager Pam Riesen said.
Memorial Day is Monday, and there will be many services throughout the area honoring members of the armed forces who paid the ultimate price to defend their country. Hillsboro
Burlon Shepherd, 76, of Wichita was found dead in his camper May 15 at Marion Reservoir. Neighboring camping friends at Cottonwood Point called Shepherd’s son after they were unable to make contact with Shepherd that morning, according to a press release from Marion County Sheriff Robert Craft.
The beach area at Marion County Park and Lake and beach areas at Marion Reservoir are closed because of blue-green algae after testing by Kansas Department of Health and Environment. Both bodies of water are open for fishing and boating. Reservoir office administrator Torey Hett said small children and dogs should stay out of the reservoir water.
For more than 90 years, Thee Bookstore has been a fixture on Hillsboro’s Main Street, a place to buy gifts and Christian books and supplies. But on Saturday, owner Brenda Hamm will close the doors for good. “I don’t come in every day, but it has always been a very good place to come to get special gifts,” customer Marlene Kroeker said Tuesday. “It was so nice to have the availability of cards here in town.”
Recent Tabor College graduates Aaron Phillips and his brother, Levi Phillips, grew up in Thailand, where cultue and family played an important role in daily life. For the past four years, culture and family also contributed to the brothers’ educational challenges and success, culminating in two worlds brought together in Hillsboro, the weekend of their commencement exercises. “We lived in Thailand for 23 years, so all five of our children grew up there,” father Michael Phillips said. “Three are our blood children and two we adopted because they were with us all the time and just became a very important part of our family.”
The unusual damage stood out, even amidst the crumpled, dilapidated remains of a farm outbuilding in central Marion County. Two 1 inch x 6 inch boards were shredded, clawed and gnawed to clear the way to a hole underneath the rubble. Muddy impressions of paw prints covered the piece of tin laying on top. A short distance away, atop a piece of fiberglass, was one solitary print, larger and different from the rest.
MARION — Della E. Coe, 85, passed away May 16, 2012, at Via Christi Village — Broadmoor of Wichita. She was born in Herington, April 28, 1927, to Adolph and Tina (Martinez) Escobar. On Oct. 28, 1948, she was united in marriage to A.J. Coe. She was a homemaker. She was preceded by her husband, A.J., and a son, Bruce.
John R. (Jack) DiFelice, 67, of Marion, died suddenly, on May 17, 2012 at his residence. He is formerly of Blackwood, New Jersey. He was preceded in death by parents, Rocco and Genevieve DiFelice, and a sister, Lorraine DiFelice.
Like many Marion County farmers, Dallas Jost of rural Hillsboro sometimes wonders if the struggle to keep up with the farm, the full-time job, the land payments, etc. is worth it. “I don’t know if the kids ‘get it’ yet, what makes this place special,” he said. “It’s hard to put into words, but it’s more than working the ground, planting and harvesting. There is a heritage here. When I find things like this arrowhead, it makes me wonder what went on here before our time; and I feel connected to it. I want my kids to feel that too.”
When Erik Runge can hear the mechanical rumble of a half track crunching along in the distance, when he feels the cool wood of a Gewhr rifle as he lines up to advance, leading his men into certain slaughter, he feels fear; it feels real enough. “There are moments in a reenactment when you’re totally immersed and you feel fear — it looks real, it sounds real,” Runge said.
Marion County Commission approved a cell phone plan for the Road and Bridge Department with U.S. Cellular on Monday. Half the department is already using a U.S. Cellular plan along with sheriff’s and appraisers offices. The commission approved a plan to include all the phones in the department, which is slated to cost $3,240 for a two-year contract. The phones themselves cost a penny apiece.
The Kansas Supreme Court on Monday canceled statewide court furloughs that were scheduled for Thursday and Friday, as well as two in June. The furloughs were canceled because the Kansas Legislature passed a budget that included a supplemental allocation to prevent the furloughs in this fiscal year. Gov. Sam Brownback hadn’t yet signed the budget, but the Supreme Court expected approval. The furloughs were originally scheduled because the court system had a revenue shortfall caused by a drop in filing fees collected statewide.
Mid-Kansas Cooperative Community Involvement Committee is organizing a food drive to support local food pantries. The collection of non-perishable food items will begin June 1 and end on June 30. Donation sites will be located at each MKC co-op — Florence, Goessel, Peabody, and Burns. Bags will be provided to those traveling to and from the elevators during the harvest to bring items in. A collective goal of 1,000 pounds of non-perishable food items has been set.
At 7 p.m. on Sunday, the First Baptist Church of Durham is hosting an evening of Gospel music featuring SONrise, a husband and wife team — the Rudolphs, from Dallas, Ore. They are members of the Pacific Gospel Music Association. A free-will offering will be receieved for the ministry of SONrise. First Baptist Chruch is located at 725 Abilene St., Durham, one block west of the Red Barn Café.
Westar Energy is warning customers to be aware of a scam that has affected other utility customers in several states across the country. The scam claims the federal government is providing credits or applying payments to customers’ utility bills. According to reports, scammers are handing out flyers, using social media, and sending text messages. They ask for personal information, including Social Security numbers, saying the information is needed to apply payments to customers’ utility bills.
Bob Bethell, 69, of Alden, formerly of Peabody, died Sunday night in a one-car crash on I-70 in Waubunsee County. Bethell, a Republican in the Kansas House of Representatives, was alone in the car, headed home from the final legislative session in Topeka. His car went off the road near the Paxico exit, hit several trees, and overturned, ending up on its roof.
The Tabor College Commencement ceremonies were held Saturday at Joel H. Wiens stadium. In all, 127 diplomas were presented to 102nd graduating class. The Professor Fran Jabara Leadership Award was presented to Taylor Funk, of Hillsboro. The student received a cash award of $1,000. Local graduates Bachelor of Arts Corissa Marie Bartel, Hillsboro, cum laude. Peter Bartel, Hillsboro. Kurtis T. Bowman, Hillsboro, posthumous degree. Spencer S. Brown, Hillsboro, cum laude. Joshua Clark Elliott, Hillsboro. Amanda Jayne Marie Faber, Hillsboro, summa cum laude. Samantha Hope Heinrichs, Hillsboro. Benjamin Josh Heyen, Hillsboro, summa cum laude. Aleesha Marie Hines, Goessel. Lauren Michelle Just, Hillsboro, summa cum laude. Jenesa Elise Klose, Hillsboro, magna cum laude. Maria Elizabeth Loewen, Hillsboro, magna cum laude. Gavin Mitchell Serene, Hillsboro. Aaron R. Stepanek, Hillsboro. David Bradley Vogel, Hillsboro, magna cum laude. Hanna Shereen Vogel, Hillsboro. Greta Lynn Wiebe, Hillsboro.
CORRESPONDENTS:
Ammeter,
Round the town,
Northwest of Durham,
TampaENGAGEMENT:
Robinett-Geis
Twelve students from Marion County received degrees from Kansas State University this spring, including four master’s degrees. Durham
- JuliAnne Renee Chisholm, bachelor of science in athletic training. Hillsboro
- Nathan Wayne Hiebert, master of science in family studies and human services.
- Andrea Renae Jost, bachelor of science in family studies and human services.
- Matthew Alan Morford, bachelor of science in agriculture. Lost Springs
- Tye Thomas Remy, bachelor of science.
- Tad Alan Remy, bachelor of science in education.
- Nicole R. Stenzel, bachelor of science in apparel and textiles. Marion
- Nellie Lynn Hill, bachelor of science in agriculture.
- Daniel Lee Kraus, master of landscape architecture.
- Jason Douglas Matz, master of science in agronomy. Peabody
- Kristin Marie Waner, bachelor of science.
- Blair A. Williams, master of music.
Good grades in school don’t happen by accident; students have to make a consistent, genuine effort to succeed in school. The motivation to keep up that effort is something that has always been instilled in Hillsboro High School valedictorian Courtney Weber and salutatorian Amy Bartel. Both said they were taught from a young age that “good enough” isn’t good enough.
Goessel FFA members, parents, and supporters gathered Thursday to celebrate the year’s accomplishments and honor special people, including Lynette Duerksen of rural Goessel, at their chapter banquet. “We awarded Lynette an honorary FFA degree because she has been so helpful through the years,” Chapter Adviser Zana Manche said. “She helped us with so many fundraisers, selling fireworks, providing food, working concessions. We just all thought she was very deserving.”
Hillsboro High School graduate Amy Bartel is the recipient of the Hillsboro Community Hospital Auxiliary $500 scholarship. The auxiliary has designated the scholarship to be received by a Hillsboro High School senior planning to pursue education in a health care related field.
It was a mistake. Mitchell Day knew it, Shaq Thiessen knew it, and jumps coach Donya Hilliard knew it. Hillsboro High School junior Mitchell Day came into the Marion regional with one of the best marks in long jump among his competitors. With his jumps requiring pinpoint accuracy from the board, using his sprinter speed to his advantage, Day missed the mark on his first jump. He then went and ran in the prelims of the 100-meter dash before returning to the pit.
The Hillsboro High School softball team will be a No. 1 seed in the 3A state softball tournament Friday and Saturday at Twin Oaks Complex in Manhattan. The Trojans, 20-3, will face Douglass, 12-9, in the first round. Douglass won the Caney Valley regional as a two seed, defeating Eureka 12-2 in the final.
It was a breezy day for the Goessel track team at the 1A regional track meet in Burlington, but the Goessel girls achieved some impressive performances. The top four finishers at each regional meet advance to the Kansas State High School Track Meet this Friday and Saturday in Wichita. Ali Buller pulled off an impressive first-place finish in the 800-meter run. After two laps, she had set a new personal best for the season with a time of 2:31.09. When comparing her time with other regional track meets across the state, she has the fastest time of all 16 qualifiers at the state meet. Buller will be scheduled to run at 5:05 p.m. on Saturday, for her first attempt at a state medal.
