BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
Peabody-Burns USD 398 had school Friday despite a bomb threat made Feb. 14 at Peabody-Burns Junior/Senior High School.
On Feb. 21, Superintendent Ron Traxson sent parents of students a letter about the threat. No information was provided to local or regional news outlets.
Four of five Marion County school districts closed because of snow on Tuesday.
For Peabody-Burns, Marion, and Goessel, it was the fourth consecutive snow day. Durham-Hillsboro-Lehigh had three consecutive snow days but had school off on Friday for other reasons.
When Marion County offices are closed because of weather, the county actually pays more wages than when offices are open.
County commissioners asked County Clerk Tina Spencer what is done with compensation when there are closures.
Games scheduled for Monday and Tuesday in the Hillsboro sub-state tournament have been rescheduled for today and Thursday respectively.
Girls’ basketball games are scheduled to start at 3 p.m. today. Hillsboro and Marion are scheduled to play at 7:30 p.m.
Doris E. Berhnardt, 89, died Monday at St. Luke Living Center in Marion, where she lived for a couple of months.
She was born Nov. 22, 1923, at Ramona and graduated from high school there in 1939. She and her husband, Victor, farmed in the Lost Springs area for a number of years. They later moved to Lyons where they owned and operated a motel, and moved later to Buhler where Doris worked as a supervisor in a grain sack factory.
Robert McLinden, 86, died Feb. 20 at Peabody Care Center LLC.
He was born April 17, 1926, to Jessie Adams McLinden and Thomas McLinden of Marion.
Sherri Higgins of rural Marion has had some setbacks in life, but one way or another she has always persevered. Gardening in central Kansas also brings with it a certain set of difficulties, but with heirloom seeds and an inability to sit still, Higgins has found a way to grow and persevere, in life and in gardening.
“Normally at this time I already have my tomato seedlings planted,” she said. “But the weather just has not cooperated at all this past year. That, plus the fact that the wind blew the roof off my greenhouse a little while back; it’s been difficult.”
Wendy Collier‘s heart sank when she saw the amount of snow that had drifted in front of her door.
“I didn’t think I could get out,” she said. “Luckily, when I pushed on the door, the snow moved and I could sort of dig my way out.”
Don and Marilyn Ratzlaff raised six children in Hillsboro and now that their family has grown to 30 members, their picturesque home on South Main Street provides just the right base for children and grandchildren who come as go as needed.
“Right now we have a daughter and her two girls staying with us as her husband is in Austin, Texas,” Don Ratzlaff said on Tuesday. “They will be moving shortly, but we have plenty of room for them to stay here until the house is ready there.”
Felicia White of Hillsboro is on a mission: to teach her children about gardening.
“I want them to learn that they can grow what they eat,” she said.
While recent snowfall is encouraging for local farmers, it also adds moisture weeds need to overtake area gardens.
“I just know it is going to be a bad year for weeds,” Esther Good of Peabody said, explaining she plans to spend at least 10 hours per week in her gardens this summer. “My knees hurt already, just thinking about all the work.”
Many people welcomed the snow dumped recently in Marion County, but not so welcome was the task of cleaning off sidewalks, driveways, and even rooftops in some cases.
“My wife wanted me to clear a path to our mailbox, but when the snow plow comes through it just sends it flying back up in here,” said Bob Woelk of Hillsboro on Saturday.
When I was at lunch Tuesday, a friend told me he was glad for the snowstorms we’ve had in the past week because it was the first time he was able to use the snow blower he bought about two years ago.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy we got the snow. We needed the moisture, and we need still more in the coming months. But to me, a snow blower goes in the category of things you hope you don’t have to use even when you have bought it — not quite to the same extent as health insurance or life insurance, but it is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
All snowed inLEGISLATIVE UPDATE:
Committees trimming budgetsLETTERS:
Who is the legislature working for?ONE WOMAN'S VIEW:
Self-esteem undermined
Everence Sharing fund distributed about $76,370 to 57 churches in the Central Kansas area.
Churches that received grants in 2012 were Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church near Goessel, Ebenfeld Mennonite Brethren and First Mennnonite Church of Hillsboro, Goessel Mennonite Church, Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren, Spring Valley Mennonite, Tabor Mennonite, and Trinity Mennonite.
The Steve Vincent program for the Tabor Lifelong Learning group has been rescheduled for 9:45 a.m. March 22 in the Wolgemuth Music Education Center.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Marion County will have its annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake fundraiser Friday and Saturday at SherBowl Lanes in Marion.
Teams of four or five bowlers will collect pledges for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Marion County. Bowling will be at 9 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture will conduct a four-week general sign-up for the Conservation Reserve Program, beginning May 20 and ending June 14. Additional sign-ups for programs such as Highly Erodible Land Initiative and Initiative to Restore Grasslands, Wetlands, and Wildlife will be announced in spring.
CRP is a voluntary program available to agricultural producers to help them safeguard environmentally sensitive land. Producers enrolled in CRP plant long-term resource-conserving cover plants and receive an annual rent payment for the length of the contract, 10 to 15 years.
There will be a card shower for Eulalia Flaming’s 80th birthday Friday.
Please send cards to Eulalia Flaming, Parkside Homes, 704 S. Ash St., Room 103, Hillsboro, KS 67063.
Harland Schusters will give a Lifelong Learning Lecure Friday in Wolgemuth Music Education Center at Tabor College.
Schusters photographed more than 59,000 images for the “8 Wonders of Kansas Guidebook.” Schusters is a farmer-photographer from Morrill. He has shot several series about Kansas.
CORRESPONDENTS:
Northwest of Durham,
Round the town,
Tampa
The Tabor College Concert Choir is preparing for its annual spring tour from March 14 through 24. There will be a tour preview performance 10:35 a.m. Sunday at First Mennonite Church in Hillsboro.
The choir will visit seven churches in Denver, Colo., and Central California, as well as Immanuel High School in Reedley, Calif.
Hillsboro senior Tyrell Thiessen was dominating his final state match.
He was up 5-0 after one round, with a takedown and a near pin. After two rounds, he was up 9-0, scoring a reversal in the opening 30 seconds of the period and nearly pinning Fritz Berger of Sylvan-Lucas unified with his opponent’s right arm secured behind his back.
Davis Cook scored seven points in the first quarter to help Goessel to a 14-6 lead on Feb. 19 when the Bluebirds took on the highly ranked Berean Academy Warriors’ basketball team. Cook’s team leading game total of 16 points kept the Bluebirds close throughout the contest before Berean sealed the deal in the final quarter with free throws, winning 44-36.
The Bluebirds started out strong with Ben Wiens rolling in a layup, Zach Showalter hitting a 3-pointer, and Reece Hiebert making a high percentage shot, along with Cook’s contributions, to give the Bluebirds a surprising 14-9 lead at the first quarter break.
Three seniors played their last home game at the Bluebird gym against a tough Berean squad. The Warriors jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first quarter. Free throws by Alex Hiebert and Aleena Cook and a field goal from Jessica Harvey helped the Bluebirds stay within five points at the end of the quarter, 12-7. Goessel became helpless offensively in the second quarter as Berean scored 15 unanswered points to lead at halftime 27-7.
Trailing by 20, the Bluebirds came back on the court in the third period and Harvey scored five points and Alex Hiebert hit a layup for seven Bluebird points. Berean did find their rhythm in the last part of the quarter stretching their lead to 23 points. Page Hiebert scored for the Bluebirds as the third period came to an end and Goessel trailed, 39-18.