HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Drought relief scarce

On paper it looked good — Kansas State Conservation Commission allocates $500,000 for immediate drought assistance for Kansas livestock producers. In reality, it was barely a drop in the bucket for Marion County farmers and ranchers who needed help getting water to their animals. More than 40 county producers beat a path over to the Natural Resources Conservation Services office in Marion and signed up for the state drought funding program, but only three individuals were selected for state funding.

City approves zoning change

Hillsboro City Council members approved a planning commission recommendation at their meeting Tuesday to rezone an unoccupied area in Carriage Hills from single family residential to multi-family residential. City Administrator Larry Paine said Darrell Driggers, property owner who submitted the change request, planned to build condominiums or townhouses in the housing subdivision on the southeast side of Hillsboro.

Two centenarians lead Tampa parade

The Tampa community has at least two active centenarians — Alma Meyer and Tillie Hein. They will be co-grand marshals Saturday in the town’s 125th anniversary parade. Meyer celebrated her 100th birthday July 29. Born a Backhus, she has lived all of her life in the Tampa community. Her husband, Earnest, died in 1993.

Horse rider waits on MRI after accident

Peggy Clark of rural Hillsboro, wanted to enjoy the cooler temperatures with a family horse ride Sunday evening. Instead, she found herself the center of a large contingent of emergency personnel working to prevent further injury after she fell off an unruly horse. “We had five horses saddled up and ready to go,” said Linda Miller, Clark’s sister-in-law. “One of the horses was acting up a bit, so Peggy had Gary’s nephew dismount and she got on that one.”

Dwight L. Boesker

Dwight L. Boesker, 64, died at his residence Sunday in Marion. He was born Nov. 13, 1947, in McPherson to Albert “Buck” and Lillie Boesker. He served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War and worked for Wheatland Homes of North Newton and Wray Roofing of Newton.

Carol R. Bowyer

Carol R. Bowyer, 73, of Bentley died Saturday at Newton Medical Center in Newton. She was born Oct. 26, 1938, in Erie to Herman and Sylvia (Fisher) Hull. She married Alvin B. Bowyer on Sept. 1, 1957 in Erie. He preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by a brother, Dale Hull.

Wilma Nelson Friesen

Wilma Nelson Friesen, 93, wife of the late Dr. Carl M. Friesen, passed away on Thursday, Aug. 9. Born in Marion, Kan., to the late Frank and Bothilde Nelson, she was a 1936 graduate of Marion High School and a 1940 graduate of the University of Kansas, where she was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority. She was a member of Walnut Hill Church, the Lexington Women’s Club, the Central Kentucky Women’s Club, the Lexington Medical Auxiliary, Lexington Country Club and the Country Club of Naples, Fla.

Marilyn I. Harsh

Marilyn I. Harsh, 71, passed away on Monday, Aug. 13, at Newton Medical Center. She was born on Oct. 19, 1940, to Hallie and Dorothy Holman. She was a retired cosmetologist and a retired teacher from the Peabody-Burns school district. Marilyn was a member of the Peabody Christian Church and also taught Sunday school.

Ronald Rex Moore

Ronald Rex Moore, 72, died Aug. 11 at his home in Newton. He was born Nov. 20, 1939, in Florence to Melvin and Daisy Moore. He retired after working for Martin K. Eby Construction for 38 years. He was a lifetime member of Good Sams RV Club.

John Pleiser

John Pleiser, a 67-year resident of Inglewood, passed away Monday, July 16, 2012, in Marina Del Rey. Born in Tampa, Kan., the youngest of eight children, John was 86 when he died. John served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1943 to 1946. He was employed by the U.S. Postal Service in Inglewood for 30 years. He was a member of the American Legion and the NALC.

Mildred Irene Soyez Riffel

Mildred “Millie” Irene Soyez Riffel, 92, died Aug. 16 at St. Luke Living Center in Marion. She was born May 24, 1920, in Lost Springs to Nelson and Ida Faye (Lamb) Henninger. She attended Tampa schools and worked as a waitress at several restaurants and for more than 30 years at Schoneman Shoe Store in Marion.

Wesley Allen Shepler

Wesley Allen Shepler, 65, of Newton died Aug. 14 at Via Christi-St. Francis in Wichita. He was born June 11, 1947, in Newton to Charles H. Shepler and Eudora A. Huddle. He worked for the railroad.

Richard L. Wyss Sr.

FLORENCE — Richard L. Wyss Sr., 85, passed away Aug. 16, 2012, at Salem Home, Hillsboro. He was born Nov. 22, 1926, in DeGraff, the son of Walter and Lena (Matthyer) Wyss. He served in the US Army during World War II and was retired from farming and custom hay hauling. On Sept. 22, 1946, he married Lucille Phillips.

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MHS football team has high hopes

West Coast, spread, wildcat — some football coaches can’t resist feeding whatever ‘flavor of the year’ offense is popular to their football teams, and they do the same on defense. Marion High School head coach Grant Thierolf isn’t one of them. As he enters his 25th season of Warriors’ football, he’s sticking with the tried and true.

Lady Warriors attack new season

First-year Marion High School head volleyball coach Deanna Thierolf leaves no question as to the style of play she expects as the Lady Warriors look to rebound from last season’s 13-21 record. “We’re going to attack,” Theirolf said. “That’s my style of ball, that’s my personality, and look at my players — that’s their personality. They’re going to push hard.”

MHS cross-country set to challenge

The distance Marion head volleyball coach Deanna Thierolf monitors is measured in feet. Football coach Grant Thierolf gets a little more workout covering yards to mentor his players. Rebecca Hofer often logs more distance in a week than her colleagues do in a season — she coaches the Warrior cross-country team, which measures its practice “field” in miles. Her athletes literally run away from her, and elite runners often are separated by more than a mile from the novices.

PBHS runners must focus

Individual effort will be the focus of the Peabody-Burns cross-country team in 2012. The number of athletes competing will preclude the group from running for team results, but that will not stop the efforts of the students out for the sport. The high school team will include one senior, Zach Preheim and three juniors, Lily Harris, Angelica Winsor, and Christian Chastain. Mackenzie Young will represent the sophomore class.

PBHS returns 5 starters

Five returning starters for the Peabody-Burns volleyball squad will give the team core-group chemistry for the 2012 season. Senior Paige Lewis and junior Rayna Barnes, both 2011 all-league selections, will lead the net attack. Kaycy Gonzalez, a junior, will be the other outside attack player. Senior Brandee Burnett will play the right side, and junior McKenzie Ensminger will return as team libero.

PBHS football ready for stellar year

Experienced, physical, and fast are words that can be used to describe the 2012 Peabody-Burns High School football team. With returning players at many of the offensive and key defensive positions, the squad has time for refining instead of learning the system. Familiar faces on both sides of the ball and on the sideline will provide continuity in a schedule that is new to PBHS. Many of the teams slated this season are fresh competition who the Warriors will meet for the first time in district play, including two-time state champions Madison.

Trojan volleyball prepared to defend

If any volleyball hopefuls thought Hillsboro High School head coach Sandy Arnold was going to take it easy, take a victory lap after her first state championship, they received a rude awakening this past week. Here’s a sample of the conditioning the Trojans did Thursday: straight jumps into quick footwork through a tape ladder, to shadowboxed run ups and hits, to sit ups with medicine balls, to a blocking drill with even more jumping, and finally finishing the exercise by shuffling and sprinting around orange cones.

New coach tests HHS football team

Hillsboro High School football head coach Lance Sawyer knows stats can be manipulated. He knows film can tell a story, but not the whole story. The only way he was going to learn about his new team was to see them in action. Football is about reaction and motor. Football is about the one-on-one battle, blocker against tackler, not giving up until the whistle sounds.

HHS tennis wants state return

The Hillsboro High School girls’ tennis team has one returning player who has competed at the state tournament, and that experience has the team motivated to send players to state again. “We had a taste of how much fun it is to play in the state tournament last year,” coach Bob Woelk said. “I hope to return Allison Weber and take along more girls to the ‘big dance.’ I think it is a real possibility. This year we host regionals, and state will be in Hutchinson.”

HHS has runners to watch

Hillsboro High School cross-country coach Stuart Holmes wished every runner could run more than 300 miles in the summer and come into the season in sterling shape. That would be a perfect world. Some of his runners can’t do that. Some of his runners won’t do it. Sophomore Emily Sechrist is one of the runners who has put in the miles in the summer. Some athletes may work as hard but no one outworks her. That’s why she has two state championship medals already, one last year in cross-country, one in the 3,200-meter run in track.

Centre volleyball has experience

With nine returning letter winners, the Centre High School volleyball team is sure to improve its 2011 record of 19-16. The team finished third in the Wheat State League and fourth in the league tournament. “We have all of our letter winners and starters back from last year so we should be at or near the top of the league,” coach Yvonne Burhoop said.

Goessel football counts on quickness

“We won’t have any 250 pounders on the team, but we have quickness, and that will make us competitive,” said Trey Schmidt, senior quarterback on the 2012 Goessel High School football team. Nineteen players reported for eight-man football for first-year head coach Garrett Hiebert this fall.

Seniors lead GHS volleyball team

The Goessel High School volleyball team will attempt to match the success of last year with four seniors playing their final season on the court. Tia Goertzen will attack as outside hitter using her 5-foot, 6-inch height to hit winners from the left side. Alex Hiebert, a 5-10 senior, will be a middle hitter and block against opponents best hitters. Jessica Harvey, Goessel’s 5-5 setter brings experience from several years of setting to teammates. Johanna Hoffman will be a defensive specialist, playing the back row and contributing at the serving position.

Experience boosts Goessel cross-country

Heath Goertzen and Nathan Czarnowsky led Goessel High School’s cross-country team last year with several performances under the 20 minute barrier. Both of these runners are juniors. Seniors Grant Flaming and Dan Smucker will compete for a varsity spot again this year, returning for their final season at the 5-kilometer distance. Ben Wiens and Jake Herrel, both juniors, also lettered last year. These six runners will form the core of the cross-country team this year, with the hopes that several newcomers will add to the success of varsity races.

CHS football on the rebound

The Centre High School football team is hoping to improve on its 2011 record of 4-5 this year. There are 23 students are on the squad. “We were really young last year,” coach Kelly Steiner said. “We’re a year older and have more experience now.”

County to receive economic aid training

Marion County is one of six Kansas counties that will receive technical assistance and training for economic development from a $200,000 grant from U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Community Development Initiative Program. Assistance will include community and entrepreneurship coaching, succession planning for businesses, and education and networking with local, regional, state, and national resources. Other counties benefiting from the grant are Chase, Greeley, Greenwood, Norton, and Wichita counties.

Commission discusses accident procedure

Marion County Commissioner Randy Dallke wants to modify Marion County practices on medical emergencies occurring near county borders. He planned a meeting with the commission and Emergency Management Director Dan D’Albini, Communications Director Linda Klenda, and Marion County Emergency Medical Services Director Steve Smith for Monday.

County expects not to move into jail

Emergency Management Director Dan D’Albini reported Monday to Marion County Commission that it is likely that the county communications department will not be moved into the jail until Jan. 1. D’Albini and Sheriff Robert Craft had previously reported that the jail could be operational by August. The disparity stems from the tower quandary.

A gambling problem

The recent closure of Arlie’s Paint, Body, and Glass — and the City of Marion being left to pay for the building’s lease-purchase without revenue from a tenant — raises questions about the role local government should play in economic development. And now the city is drafting another lease-purchase agreement to bring a business into the industrial park, this time for Mark Evans’ Airstream trailer restoration business. Should a city, county, or other government body put taxpayer money at risk on economic development projects that have the possibility of saddling the government with debt? It’s always a gamble. Good economic times don’t last forever, and even if they did, businesses close even in a good economy.

ONE WOMAN'S VIEW:

Relay for Life is Saturday

Marion County Relay For Life is scheduled for 6 p.m. to midnight Saturday at USD 408 Sports and Aquatics Center in Marion. Events begin at 5 p.m. with a dinner for cancer survivors and their spouses. The relay itself begins at 6 p.m. with the survivor lap; all cancer survivors who walk will receive a free T-shirt.

Al-Anon begins meeting

A new Al-Anon group is forming in Marion County to provide support for women who have family members or friends with a drinking problem. The group will meet 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturdays at Marion County Women’s Serenity, 2150 Schlotthauer, Marion, at Eastshore. Meetings will be anonymous and limited to women. The first meeting was Saturday.

Democratic women to meet

Marion County Democratic Women will meet at noon Friday at Marion Senior Center. The group will collect canned vegetables for Marion County Emergency Food Bank.

Hymn sing is Sunday

The monthly Hillsboro community hymn sing will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church, 300 Prairie Pointe, Hillsboro. The evening will include singing, prayer, and Scripture readings. Participants will be able to choose favorite hymns to sing.

Six Appeal to headline at Florence

Six Appeal, an a cappella singing group, will headline entertainment at Florence’s Labor Day celebration. Michael Brookens, formerly of Marion, sings with the group that will perform at 6 p.m., on Sept. 1 in Florence. Labor Day chairman Melvin Honeyfield said the committee was especially pleased to bring the group to town.

Elfrieda Funk honored with reception

The public is invited to attend a reception honoring Elfrieda Funk from 2 to 4 p.m. Aug. 26 at Parkside Homes. The event is in recognition of her receipt of the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from LeadingAge Kansas at its annual Quality First Awards of Excellence Ceremony in Wichita. Parkside Homes is a member of LeadingAge Kansas, which represents 160 not-for-profit long-term care provider organizations.

Penner celebrates 100th birthday

Katherine Nickel Hiebert Schmidt Penner will turn 100 on Sept. 9. She was born Sept. 9, 1912, in Washita County near Clinton, Okla., the youngest of 12 children. She married Dan Hiebert on April 2, 1938, in Hillsboro, and they farmed west of town. Dan died in 1957. She then married Harry Schmidt on Jan. 2, 1960. Harry died in 1966. She married Paul Penner on Feb. 14, 1976. Paul died in 1982.

Reader wins governor's award

From the first week of June through the second week of August, Emily Flaming, age 8, of rural Goessel read at least one book a day, sometimes two. While she is not quite sure of her exact summer reading total — she guessed it could be more than 75 books — it was more than enough to earn recognition from Gov. Sam Brownback and an invitation to join him on Saturday for a picnic. “I really like the American Girl Collection of books,” Emily said. “I’ve read all of them at least once and some of them twice already.”

ANNINVERSARY:

CORRESPONDENTS:

Butler offers non-credit classes

Butler Community College has scheduled 11 non-credit courses this fall at Butler of Marion. For enrollment information and fees, contact Butler Community College at (620) 382-2183. Course list

Native Plants of Kansas-Exploring the Native Landscape, Mary Beth Bowers, 7 to 9 p.m. Sept. 25.

Natural Relaxation & Massage Techniques, Carolan McFarland, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays from Sept. 18 to Oct. 9.

Simple Yoga, McFarland, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 16, 23, and 30.

Guitar Basics & Beyond, instructor Mike Moran, 7 to 8 p.m. Thursdays from Sept. 13 to Oct. 4.

Excel Basics, Margaret Pickering, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Oct. 22 and 24.

A Beginner’s Computer Class, Pickering, 6:30 to 8 p.m. Oct. 8 and 10.

Creating a Canvas Floor Cloth, Pat Wick, 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 10, 17, and 24.

Birdhouse Gourd Painting, Wick, 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 6.

Using Your SLR Digital Camera, Gerald Wiens, 9 a.m. to noon Nov. 3.

The “I don’t know where to start” Exercise Class, Karen Williams, 5 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from Sept. 18 to Oct. 18.

Learn Zumba, Williams, 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays from Sept. 18 to Oct. 18.

Fall sports preview is Friday at Goessel

Goessel High School will host its 19th Annual Fall Sports Preview Night on Friday. The evening will include a hamburger fry, football and volleyball scrimmages, and introductions of all fall sports teams. A grilled hamburger supper will be served from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. in the high school cafeteria. Patrons are asked to use the east entrance.

Home school families to have school event

Marion County Home Educators will have a back-to-school picnic at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Park in Hillsboro. Drinks and desserts will be provided. Guests are asked to bring table settings for their families and a potluck dish or two to share. For more information, call Betsy Walker at (316) 772-6578.

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