HILLSBORO Star-Journal

HEADLINES

Dog lovers bark back at council's proposed ordinance
Disgruntled dog owners packed the city council room Tuesday to register their complaints about a proposed new dog ordinance. The ordinance sets new rules for residents who keep dangerous dogs. Although the ordinance specifies behavior that can result in a dog being deemed “dangerous,” it also lists l2 specific breeds and “any dog … that has the appearance and characteristics of any of the breeds listed” which could be considered “capable of inflicting life-threatening injuries.”
EMS 'hostage crisis' deepens
Acceding to a plea from ambulance director Ed Debesis, county commissioners voted Friday to hire an assistant director to help with his workload. But Debesis, who earlier in the day had said he would stay if an assistant were hired, declined to rescind his resignation. And once again, commissioners declined to accept it. Dianne Novak’s motion to do so failed for lack of a second.
Desert march tests local runner's mettle
Courtney Boehm of Hillsboro runs competitively, but a recent marathon-length event was unlike anything she had ever attempted. The 29th annual Bataan Memorial Death March on March 25 commemorated World War II at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.
Thrill of competition drives many to beef show
For many children, athletics are enough to satisfy a desire of competition. For others, showing animals at livestock shows involves more responsibility than sports.

OTHER HEADLINES

City gets ready for annual spring cleaning week
Morning lows in the 20s don’t seem spring-like, but spring cleaning soon will be upon us. Hillsboro’s annual cleanup week, when residents can dispose of extra trash and small limbs at no extra charge, is planned for April 23 to 27.
Quilter did it row by row
Belinda Skiles has participated in the Row-by-Row Experience for three years, but 2017 was the first year she finished a quilt and won a prize. Her quilt is on display this week at Marion City Library along with two dozen other quilts and wall hangings.
Ex-principal to help oversee state high school sports
A former Marion coach and school administrator has been selected to help lead the association that oversees high school athletics and activities statewide. Rod Garman, who was principal at Marion Elementary School from 2007 to 2011, will become assistant executive director of the Kansas State High School Activities Association on July 1.
How often are ambulances needed?
In the first three months of 2018, predominantly full-time ambulance crews in Marion and Hillsboro handled nearly three-fourths of all county ambulance calls. Of the 328 times in which radio dispatches for ambulances were recorded, Hillsboro crews handled 38.1 percent of the calls, and Marion crews handled 35.7 percent.

DEATHS

Virginia Nickel
Services for former Hillsboro resident Virginia Lea Nickel, 72, Jarrell, Texas, were March 3 in Georgetown, Texas. Born June 11, 1964, in Brady, Texas, she married Leo Nickel on June 25, 1966.
IN MEMORIAM:
Lorraine Havlik

DOCKET

FINANCE

How do you use your tax refund?
Much as we like to complain about it, for most people, filing tax returns is no big deal. Getting a refund, on the other hand, is something many people look forward to.
Tips on avoiding door-to-door scams
Spring brings not only budding plants and warmer weather. It also brings out vendors selling goods and services door-to-door. Although federal law requires a three-day “cooling off” period in which you can change your mind about any item sold door-to-door, the Better Business Bureau suggests these tips to avoid having to invoke the rule:
Planning helps smooth retirement
Most dream of the day they can hang their hats up at the end of a career. At age 65, Myrna Wood is reaping the fruits of her labor after 37 years of service at McDonald Tinker law firm in Wichita.
Easiest tip for phone safety: don't participate
If Alexander Graham Bell and rival Elisha Gray had known how much of a terror their 1876 creation would become, perhaps the telephone wouldn’t have been invented. What once was the safest and best way for communication has rapidly become an enemy with unknown callers posing danger.
Utility cutoff moratorium ends
The state’s cold-weather moratorium on utility cutoffs ended Saturday. Residential electric and natural gas customers behind in their bills can see their service disconnected if they don’t contact their utility company to arrange payments.

OPINION

Garbled amid the static
Journalists often are accused of focusing too much on negatives. So we’ll try this week to find the most positive thing we can say about the burgeoning ensemble of elected and appointed officials who each week star in the continuing dramatic farce known as Marion County government: Kindergartners of the world owe them a favor. No longer must innocent (if sometimes misbehaving) young children bear the stigma of society’s stereotypical derision. When someone behaves in an immature, petulant manner, we no longer need to say, “You’re acting like a kindergartner.” We instead can say, “You’re acting like a county official.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Of boys and coyotes

PEOPLE

Foundation plans Omaha celebration
MB Foundation, based in Hillsboro, is planning to continue its biennial Celebrate gatherings for “empty nesters, builders, and boomers.” Omaha has been selected as site for Celebrate 2019, following up on previous events in 2015 in Kansas City and 2017 in Denver.
Free operetta to poke fun at culture
An updated version of “Patience,” a satiric 1881 Gilbert and Sullivan operetta about contemporary culture, will be presented for free at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Tabor College’s Wohlgemuth Music Education Center. Originally a satire on a 19th century European movement that focused on aesthetic values, the production has replaced “Aesthetics” with “Hipsters.”
Care home takeover sought
The state is asking to take over Chase County Care and Rehabilitation Center in Cottonwood Falls and 14 other Kansas nursing homes whose owner cannot make an upcoming payroll. Skyline Health Care of Wood Ridge, New Jersey, acquired the nursing homes in 2016.
Speech to trace rights movement
A presentation on how street politics encouraged African Americans’ ideas of freedom and equality is planned for 7 p.m. April 19 at Tabor College’s Flaming Center for the Arts. Assistant history professor Jessica Klanderud will speak on the topic “Freedom Corner and the Modern Civil Rights Movement, 1950-1968,” as part of a Tabor lecture series.
NORTHWEST OF DURHAM:
Out-of-town visitors spend Easter weekend here
SENIOR CENTER:
Menu

SCHOOL/SPORTS

School reading night focuses on kindness
Hillsboro Elementary students proved themselves no chickens when it came to donating to a loose-coin drive to buy books for hurricane-ravaged Blanchette Elementary in Texas. Because they raised $4 more than their $200 goal, they soon will be treated to a chicken dance by principal Evan Yoder, who will dress up as a chicken for his performance.
Hiebert to play volleyball at Tabor
Goessel’s Brittney Hiebert was among five volleyball signees announced Monday by Tabor College. Hiebert, a 5-foot-11 middle blocker, was all-league honorable mention as a freshman, second team as a sophomore, and a first team her junior and senior seasons.
Tabor player 4th in dunk contest
With a 49-inch vertical leap, Tabor point guard DeShun Patterson can almost leap tall buildings in a single bound. The 5-10 high-flyer from Minneapolis, Minnesota, had his dunking ability on display Thursday night at a college dunk and 3-point shooting contest televised on ESPN2 as a precursor to this weekend’s Final 4 in San Antonio.
FFA students compete in career development
Nearly 180 students from 18 schools competed in last week’s south-central district FFA career development events in agronomy, poultry, and floriculture at Marion High School. Marion-Florence FFA coordinated the poultry event, Centre’s chapter staged the agronomy contest, and Wellington’s helped with floriculture.
Hiebert, Hansen on all-state team
Goessel’s Eden Hiebert and Marion’s Kourtney Hansen were named last week to the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association’s all-state girls Class 2A team. Hiebert, a 6-foot senior, was named to the five-member first team. Hansen, a 5-foot-8 senior, was named to the five-member second team.
SCHOOL MENUS:
Hillsboro and Goessel

UPCOMING

TEEN to meet
Technology Excellence in Education Network’s monthly meeting will be 5:30 p.m. April 12 at the Hillsboro school district office, 416 S. Date St.
Calendar of events

HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Courtney Boehm of Hillsboro runs competitively, but a recent marathon-length event was unlike anything she had ever attempted. The 29th annual Bataan Memorial Death March on March 25 commemorated World War II at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

For many children, athletics are enough to satisfy a desire of competition. For others, showing animals at livestock shows involves more responsibility than sports.

Morning lows in the 20s don’t seem spring-like, but spring cleaning soon will be upon us. Hillsboro’s annual cleanup week, when residents can dispose of extra trash and small limbs at no extra charge, is planned for April 23 to 27.

Belinda Skiles has participated in the Row-by-Row Experience for three years, but 2017 was the first year she finished a quilt and won a prize. Her quilt is on display this week at Marion City Library along with two dozen other quilts and wall hangings.

Services for former Hillsboro resident Virginia Lea Nickel, 72, Jarrell, Texas, were March 3 in Georgetown, Texas. Born June 11, 1964, in Brady, Texas, she married Leo Nickel on June 25, 1966.

IN MEMORIAM:

Much as we like to complain about it, for most people, filing tax returns is no big deal. Getting a refund, on the other hand, is something many people look forward to.

Most dream of the day they can hang their hats up at the end of a career. At age 65, Myrna Wood is reaping the fruits of her labor after 37 years of service at McDonald Tinker law firm in Wichita.

If Alexander Graham Bell and rival Elisha Gray had known how much of a terror their 1876 creation would become, perhaps the telephone wouldn’t have been invented. What once was the safest and best way for communication has rapidly become an enemy with unknown callers posing danger.

The state’s cold-weather moratorium on utility cutoffs ended Saturday. Residential electric and natural gas customers behind in their bills can see their service disconnected if they don’t contact their utility company to arrange payments.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:

MB Foundation, based in Hillsboro, is planning to continue its biennial Celebrate gatherings for “empty nesters, builders, and boomers.” Omaha has been selected as site for Celebrate 2019, following up on previous events in 2015 in Kansas City and 2017 in Denver.

The state is asking to take over Chase County Care and Rehabilitation Center in Cottonwood Falls and 14 other Kansas nursing homes whose owner cannot make an upcoming payroll. Skyline Health Care of Wood Ridge, New Jersey, acquired the nursing homes in 2016.

NORTHWEST OF DURHAM:

SENIOR CENTER:

Goessel’s Brittney Hiebert was among five volleyball signees announced Monday by Tabor College. Hiebert, a 5-foot-11 middle blocker, was all-league honorable mention as a freshman, second team as a sophomore, and a first team her junior and senior seasons.

Goessel’s Eden Hiebert and Marion’s Kourtney Hansen were named last week to the Kansas Basketball Coaches Association’s all-state girls Class 2A team. Hiebert, a 6-foot senior, was named to the five-member first team. Hansen, a 5-foot-8 senior, was named to the five-member second team.

SCHOOL MENUS:

Technology Excellence in Education Network’s monthly meeting will be 5:30 p.m. April 12 at the Hillsboro school district office, 416 S. Date St.