HILLSBORO Star-Journal

HEADLINES

Service gets under Bartel's skin
Ashley Bartel of Hillsboro thought long and hard about the things she might miss this summer if she went on another service trip, things like the Marion County Fair demo derby, going to the lake with friends, and just being around friends and family. “This year, it is especially hard to leave because this is my summer after my senior year,” Bartel said. “There are so many friends and family I want to spend time with, but when I considered staying home or going out to witness for Christ — I just had to go.”
Enns makes art come alive
With a gray-scale picture to guide her and the memory of a special photo shown to her by cell phone, Louetta ‘Letty’ Enns of Durham carefully applied her chosen paint color to make a kitten come alive on a canvas. “This one is almost done,” she said. “I need to add some white on the legs and chest, and then fluff up the fur a bit.”
Council projects budget expenses
Hillsboro City Council members looked into the future through City Administrator Larry Paine’s looking glass Tuesday, and saw new street projects and rising insurance costs. “I wanted to ask of you, if you had any ideas of things we might want to do,” Paine said. “Now would be the time to start talking about them, before we get to the end of the year and have to scramble for funds.”

DEATHS

Levi Brown
Levi Brown, 88, died May 11 at Peabody Care Center. He was born Sept. 1, 1924, to Michael and Lena (Muth) Brown in New Rockford, N.D. He married Georgia Dick on Oct. 3, 1942, in Marion County.
Jerry Dalke
Jerry Dalke, 67, died Monday at Via Christi-St. Francis in Wichita. He was born Oct. 28, 1945, to William and Opal (Longhofer) Dalke in Hillsboro.
Jeffrey L. Tomlinson
Jeffrey L. Tomlinson, 63, passed away May 17, 2013, at St. Luke Hospital in Marion as a result of cancer. He was born Nov. 9, 1949, in Charleston, W. Va. He was the son of Robert and Virginia (Berry) Tomlinson. Jeff was an Army veteran who proudly served his country in the Vietnam War from 1966 to 1968.
Kenneth Wiebe
Kenneth Wiebe, 77, of Hillsboro and formerly of Durham died Friday at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice in Wichita. He was born Nov. 22, 1935, to Isaac and Gladys (Redger) Wiebe in Hillsboro. He is survived by his wife, Sandy Wiebe of Hillsboro; two sons, Doyle of Durham and Arden of Gruver, Texas; a daughter, Teresa Wiebe of Durham; three brothers, Ransom of Durham, Clayton of Durham, and Richard of Tampa; two sisters, Lucille Mininger of Almena, Wis., and Christine Friesen of Muleshoe, Texas; and nine grandchildren.
Arlene Minard Williams
Arlene Minard Williams, 95, passed away May 19 2013 at Peabody Care Center in Peabody, Kan. She was born May 15, 1918 in Narka, Kan., to Raymond and Lena Dovel Smith.

DOCKET

GOVERNMENT

Commission goal: 4.4 percent property tax cut
While setting dates to work on the budget, Marion County Commission set a goal of reducing property taxes by about three mills, or 4.4 percent. Commission Chairman Randy Dallke was the first to propose that goal. He said the county may have to cut some services to reach that figure, though.
Senator accepting internship applications
Sen. Jerry Moran is accepting applications for congressional internships in his Washington, D.C., and Kansas offices for the fall. As a University of Kansas student, Moran had a summer internship with Rep. Keith Sebelius in 1974 while the Watergate scandal was at its height.

HOME AND GARDEN

Sweet potatoes rise in popularity
One of the frequently asked questions at Serendipity Gardens near Hillsboro last week was “when are the sweet potatoes coming in” and owner Jana Dalke’ s answer was “sometime next week.” Warm weather and sunny skies stirred the gardening bug in many area residents’ lives recently, and judging from garden shop traffic, most were on the hunt for traditional standards like tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers to plant in their gardens.
Gardener spends time on his knees
David Fruth spends his noon hours watering and pulling weeds out of his flower garden for one reason: to watch them grow. “There’s just something about getting dirt under my fingernails that puts a smile on my face,” the 74-year-old Marion resident said. “I like to come out when the plants are smiling at the sun. They’re happy. I’m happy. Everyone wins.”

OPINION

Wishing the commission good luck
County Commissioners Randy Dallke and Dan Holub set an ambitious goal for the upcoming budget process — cutting county property taxes by about three mills, or 4.4 percent — while Roger Fleming remained fairly quiet on the matter. That would be an impressive reversal of a trend that has seen county property taxes increase 13.1 percent since 2007. Taxes have increased every year in that time. I wish them luck. It takes a lot of willpower to cut taxes, because that means cutting budgets. Yes, cutting taxes is popular with the general public, but commissioners hear more from department heads than from the general public, and department heads are more motivated to keep their budgets steady than Joe Q. Taxpayer is to see his taxes go down. Even a three-mill decrease in property taxes is only a $17.25 difference for a $50,000 home.
BALANCING ACT:
No such thing as normal
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:
Controversial issues emerge
ONE WOMAN'S VIEW:
Great minds impart wisdom

OTHER NEWS

Woman, children welcome at Main Street Ministries
Main Street Ministries also has a living program where women and children in need live rent free while making life changes. An application and interview are required.
Crash numbers return to normal
March was a busy month for ambulances being called to car crashes, but the number of crashes returned to normal in April. A month after responding to 15 crashes, ambulances responded to three. County ambulances responded to 76 total calls in April, including 26 medical emergencies, 17 transfers, 13 no-transport calls, seven standbys, four each of falls and cardiac emergencies, three motor vehicle accidents, and two canceled calls. The total through the first four months of 2013 is 351 calls.

PEOPLE

County clerk attends conference
Marion County Clerk Tina Spencer attended the Kansas County Clerks and Election Officials annual spring conference May 8 through 10 in Manhattan. She heard presentations about emotional intelligence, county clerks, dealing with employee leaves of absence, and social media and free speech.
Celiac patient gets reprieve
A smile crossed Elizabeth Perry’s face when she passed the gluten-free section and made a beeline for the wheat bread. “I haven’t had anything but gluten-free crap for the past nine years,” she said. “It’s going to be good to sink my teeth into this loaf.”
CORRESPONDENTS:
Hillsboro Senior Center, Northwest of Durham, Round the town

SCHOOL

Hillsboro High School announces graduate awards
Hagen earns athlete of the year award
Sarah Hagen, granddaughter of Lewis and Lavada Hagen and Velma Funk of Hillsboro, earned Female Athlete of the Year distinction at Central Christian High School in Hutchinson. She excelled in track and field, basketball, and volleyball in high school and recently signed a letter of intent to attend Tabor College with a track and field scholarship. Her parents are John and Marlene Hagen of Inman.
Hagen graduates from WSU
Danielle Hagen graduated May 17 from Wichita State University with a master’s in social work. Her undergraduate studies were at the University of Kansas; there she had a major in psychology and a minor in anthropology. Danielle is the daughter of Terry and Cheryl Hagen of Hillsboro.
First-graders get iPads
The first-grade class at Hillsboro Elementary School recently received a $2,000 grant from the Hillsboro Community Impact Fund. The money was used to purchase five iPads. Students have been busy using the iPads and learning with them.

SPORTS

Six Trojans qualify for state
Shaq Thiessen, more like Super Mario Thiessen. Thiessen crushed his own school record on his second long jump attempt Friday at regionals in Marion.
Goessel sending 10 to state track
A warm day for the Regional High School Track Meet in Burlington on Friday aided the Goessel boys in qualifying four events for the state track meet this weekend. Davis Cook launched his best distance in the triple jump, going over 40 feet for the first time this season and winning the event. Heath Goertzen earned fourth place and a state berth with a jump that missed the 40-foot mark only by .50 inches.
Regional play leaves Goessel golf coach at a loss
Goessel High School golf coach Chad Lindeman was at a loss for words after a dismal performance by Bluebird teammates May 13 at the regional golf tournament. “Well,” he said. The weather was awesome and the golf was not.”

MORE…

MOVE MOUSE OVER IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT

Hillsboro graduate Jeff Pritchard puts the flower given to the graduates with their diploma comically between his teeth on Saturday, while standing with Tyler Proffitt. The Trojan class of 2013 included 52 graduates.

Ashley Bartel and Hunter Thurston stir sloppy joe meat Thursday at the Hillsboro Farmers Market. Bartel raised almost $5,000 to fund her upcoming trip to Vanuatu with community fundraisers and mission support request letters.

Louetta ‘Letty’ Enns adds a special touch to a kitten portrait she is creating for a friend. Enns teaches painting classes every Monday at Trinity Mennonite Church and currently has several paintings on exhibit, along with her class members, at the Hillsboro Public Library. She enjoys trying new techniques such as painting on rice paper, using iridescent paint, or working with special-cut mats.

The Goekler-Jasper crew moves sand in an alley near D Street Thursday with their Tonka trucks, working on a plan to build bridges. Trevor Jasper, 11, left, joined the Goekler brothers Isaac, 11, Canyon, 8, and Caden, 8, in their work, making the most of a warm, sunny afternoon in Hillsboro.

HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Levi Brown, 88, died May 11 at Peabody Care Center. He was born Sept. 1, 1924, to Michael and Lena (Muth) Brown in New Rockford, N.D. He married Georgia Dick on Oct. 3, 1942, in Marion County.

Jerry Dalke, 67, died Monday at Via Christi-St. Francis in Wichita. He was born Oct. 28, 1945, to William and Opal (Longhofer) Dalke in Hillsboro.

Arlene Minard Williams, 95, passed away May 19 2013 at Peabody Care Center in Peabody, Kan. She was born May 15, 1918 in Narka, Kan., to Raymond and Lena Dovel Smith.

While setting dates to work on the budget, Marion County Commission set a goal of reducing property taxes by about three mills, or 4.4 percent. Commission Chairman Randy Dallke was the first to propose that goal. He said the county may have to cut some services to reach that figure, though.

Sen. Jerry Moran is accepting applications for congressional internships in his Washington, D.C., and Kansas offices for the fall. As a University of Kansas student, Moran had a summer internship with Rep. Keith Sebelius in 1974 while the Watergate scandal was at its height.

BALANCING ACT:

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:

ONE WOMAN'S VIEW:

Main Street Ministries also has a living program where women and children in need live rent free while making life changes. An application and interview are required.

Marion County Clerk Tina Spencer attended the Kansas County Clerks and Election Officials annual spring conference May 8 through 10 in Manhattan. She heard presentations about emotional intelligence, county clerks, dealing with employee leaves of absence, and social media and free speech.

A smile crossed Elizabeth Perry’s face when she passed the gluten-free section and made a beeline for the wheat bread. “I haven’t had anything but gluten-free crap for the past nine years,” she said. “It’s going to be good to sink my teeth into this loaf.”

CORRESPONDENTS:

Danielle Hagen graduated May 17 from Wichita State University with a master’s in social work. Her undergraduate studies were at the University of Kansas; there she had a major in psychology and a minor in anthropology. Danielle is the daughter of Terry and Cheryl Hagen of Hillsboro.

The first-grade class at Hillsboro Elementary School recently received a $2,000 grant from the Hillsboro Community Impact Fund. The money was used to purchase five iPads. Students have been busy using the iPads and learning with them.

Shaq Thiessen, more like Super Mario Thiessen. Thiessen crushed his own school record on his second long jump attempt Friday at regionals in Marion.

Goessel High School golf coach Chad Lindeman was at a loss for words after a dismal performance by Bluebird teammates May 13 at the regional golf tournament. “Well,” he said. The weather was awesome and the golf was not.”