HILLSBORO Star-Journal

HEADLINES

Trojan athletes lose a young friend too soon
Hillsboro High sophomore Jorge Hanschu turned 16 last week. His 15-year-old friend Jacob Oden of Sterling never will. Jacob died Aug. 3 when a car struck the truck he was riding in at a country road intersection north of Sterling, one where tall corn blocked both drivers’ views. Jacob wasn’t wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the truck.
Unexpected names show up on tax list
Some surprising names are on the list of those who haven’t paid 2015 county taxes on time. “They’ve been warned,” Treasurer Jeannine Bateman said. “We try to give them until the last minute to get everything paid. We told them we had to have it last Friday at noon in the office, not by mail.”
Council takes last-minute paring knife to new Hillsboro budget
Hillsboro council members made one final snip from the proposed $9.4 million budget before passing it Tuesday. Eliminating a $35,500 contribution to the Public Building Commission brought the 2017 mill levy down from a proposed five-mill increase to a three-mill increase.
Handywomen blur line between work and play
No labor law says good old-fashioned hard work has to be boring, and it isn’t for two county women who blur the lines between work and play. Former Centre special education teacher and volleyball coach Yvonne Burhoop and Kansas Department of Transportation employee Sherri Pankratz go way back.
EMS may add stopgap shifts
Looking to fix a leak in the dam before the new year begins, county commissioners at Monday’s meeting asked EMS director Ed Debesis if he would be able to find extra part-time help for Marion calls because Marion runs are often answered by Hillsboro ambulances. Commissioner Randy Dallke said he’d checked into what it would cost to add personnel for two additional 12-hour shifts for the next 19 weeks until the end of the calendar year, and found it could be done for about $10,000. The commission earlier agreed to hire additional full-time personnel after the first of the year.

OTHER HEADLINES

Relay for Life helps with cancer, hunger
Saturday’s Marion County Relay for Life raised $22,526 to fund cancer research, provide transportation and lodging for cancer patients who must travel for treatment, teach beauty techniques to female cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation, and connect breast cancer patients with others who have been there before. Cindy Griffitts, Marion, participates in Relay for Life every year. She was on the Fighting Wisteria team, whose theme was “color your world purple.”
Osteopathic doctor joins St. Luke medical staff
Scott Akers, DO, began practicing in Marion on July 6. He is the newest addition to the medical staff at St. Luke Medical Clinic. The 31-year-old physician grew up at Syracuse in western Kansas.
KPV buys Herington Times
The Herington Times will re-open this week after former publisher John Roberts struck a deal to sell the weekly paper to Kansas Publishing Ventures. Tri-County Area Chamber of Commerce in Herington announced the sale Aug. 10, six days after Missouri-based Roberts abruptly closed the paper with less than a day’s notice to staff and public.

DEATHS

Bob Baxter
Former production manager Bob Baxter, 87, died Sunday at Salem Home in Hillsboro. A graveside service will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Gnadenau Cemetery, two miles south of Hillsboro. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Jost Funeral Home in Hillsboro.
Jerald Stockdale
Former carpenter Jerald W. Stockdale, 89, Marion, died Thursday at home. He was born May 19, 1927, to William and Bertha (Cotton) Stockdale in Wichita. He served in the Navy in World War II.
Debbie Trimble
Debbie Ellen Trimble, 59, of Salina, died Saturday. Born June 23, 1957 in Concordia to Thomas and Gayle (Pilcher) Francis, she graduated in 1975 from Marion High School. She was a longtime employee of Salina Regional Health Center and was a member of the United Church of Bennington.
IN MEMORIAM:
Kathy Hubbard
IN MEMORIAM:
Russell Krueger

DOCKET

OPINION

Trumping development
After nearly three months, colleagues at the newspaper office are getting used to a ringing cell phone, a brief pause, then a disgusted, “Shut up, Donald!” blurted at an annoying volume a couple of times every day. With home and office phones forwarded for the duration of a now-ending annual pilgrimage to Kansas, a Clone Wars sized regiment of robo-calls from Cardmember Services, supposed police charities (which have little to do with police), and The Donald often have been the only vestiges of Illinois — save for a cat pleading for morning milk each day — during a summer encampment.

PEOPLE

Tampa woman enjoys working from home
Kris Srajer of rural Tampa has been working an online job for 20 years. She quit her job doing billing for a company in Omaha when she married Jim Srajer and joined him at Tampa, where he was farming.
Herbel family gathers in Memorial Park
The family of David and Mollie Herbel gathered to visit, take pictures, and reminisce over photo albums July 2 and 3 at the Scout House in Memorial Park in Hillsboro. Those attending were daughter Esther Herbel Bastron, Scottsbluff, Nebraska; Kevin and Barb Herbel, Lincoln, Nebraska; Kelli Herbel, Oklahoma City; Gary and Shelia Cardwell, Mustang, Oklahoma.
Senior center menu

SCHOOL

Four new faculty members join USD 410
Hillsboro schools have three new teachers and a new elementary counselor this school year. Devin Metzinger
Bina signs with Angelo State
Coming off a national softball championship with Butler Community College, Grizzlies’ shortstop Danae Bina of Marion has signed to play for NCAA Division II Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas. Angelo State won a DII national championship in 2004. The Rambelles compete in the Lone Star Conference.
Area school menus

SENIOR LIVING

Klein is a lifer with Western Associates
When Barb Klein was a Hillsboro High School senior in 1972, she could have embarked on a career in journalism. “I worked at the Hillsboro Star-Journal when I was in high school,” she said. “I went over for an hour or two a day instead of going to class. I typed on their great big computer. I typed in and proofread parts of the paper.”
Woman remembers 50 years of teaching
Joyce Jackson, of Marion, now retired, spent more than 50 years helping children and adults learn. She taught in northern Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and taught English as a second language in China. Most of those years were spent teaching junior high school special education in Kansas City.
SLIDESHOW:
Seniors share school memories

UPCOMING

Blood drives are Friday
American Red Cross will hold two blood drives in the county Friday. One will be noon to 6 p.m. at Parkview Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall, 610 S. Main St., Hillsboro. A second from 2 to 6 p.m. will be at Goessel Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall, 109 S. Church St., Goessel.
New events featured at Labor Day celebration
This year’s Florence Labor Day celebration will feature a magic show and water balloon volleyball. Glenda and Mike’s Mysteries and Wonders Show, a popular event at the Kansas State Fair, will highlight Saturday night’s events. The show, which features magic and ventriloquism, starts at 7 p.m. Sept. 3.

HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Hillsboro council members made one final snip from the proposed $9.4 million budget before passing it Tuesday. Eliminating a $35,500 contribution to the Public Building Commission brought the 2017 mill levy down from a proposed five-mill increase to a three-mill increase.

No labor law says good old-fashioned hard work has to be boring, and it isn’t for two county women who blur the lines between work and play. Former Centre special education teacher and volleyball coach Yvonne Burhoop and Kansas Department of Transportation employee Sherri Pankratz go way back.

Scott Akers, DO, began practicing in Marion on July 6. He is the newest addition to the medical staff at St. Luke Medical Clinic. The 31-year-old physician grew up at Syracuse in western Kansas.

Former production manager Bob Baxter, 87, died Sunday at Salem Home in Hillsboro. A graveside service will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Gnadenau Cemetery, two miles south of Hillsboro. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Jost Funeral Home in Hillsboro.

Former carpenter Jerald W. Stockdale, 89, Marion, died Thursday at home. He was born May 19, 1927, to William and Bertha (Cotton) Stockdale in Wichita. He served in the Navy in World War II.

Debbie Ellen Trimble, 59, of Salina, died Saturday. Born June 23, 1957 in Concordia to Thomas and Gayle (Pilcher) Francis, she graduated in 1975 from Marion High School. She was a longtime employee of Salina Regional Health Center and was a member of the United Church of Bennington.

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

Kris Srajer of rural Tampa has been working an online job for 20 years. She quit her job doing billing for a company in Omaha when she married Jim Srajer and joined him at Tampa, where he was farming.

Hillsboro schools have three new teachers and a new elementary counselor this school year. Devin Metzinger

Joyce Jackson, of Marion, now retired, spent more than 50 years helping children and adults learn. She taught in northern Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, and taught English as a second language in China. Most of those years were spent teaching junior high school special education in Kansas City.

SLIDESHOW:

American Red Cross will hold two blood drives in the county Friday. One will be noon to 6 p.m. at Parkview Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall, 610 S. Main St., Hillsboro. A second from 2 to 6 p.m. will be at Goessel Mennonite Church Fellowship Hall, 109 S. Church St., Goessel.