HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Girl sells plants to help friends

Ella Tracy of rural Goessel is a small girl with a big heart for others. At eight years of age, she has already made hundreds of bookmarks and sold them to raise money for a special project. Now she is selling extra strawberry plants to support family friends wanting to adopt an international child. “We have all these extra strawberry plants and I just wanted to do something with them,” she said. “At first I thought I would sell them for money for myself, but then I remembered this family from church that wants to adopt a child and I knew I wanted to give all the money I could make to help them get their boy home.”

Tabor, Hillsboro graduations are Saturday

Tabor College and Hillsboro High School will have commencement ceremonies Saturday at Joel Wiens Stadium. Events begin with a concert at 9:30 a.m. at the stadium. Tabor College’s ceremonies will begin at 10 a.m. Retiring professor of religion and history Richard Kyle will give the commencement address for the college. Kyle has written 11 books and been named a Fulbright Scholar twice.

Hosting state tennis tournament worth the work

Hillsboro High School activities director Robert Rempel compared hosting a state tournament to a gigantic party — his goal was to make all the competitors, coaches, and fans feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. On Friday and Saturday morning, that meant setting up a concession stand and hospitality rooms. Throughout both days, Rempel, with teacher Bob Woelk, ran the information and sign-up booth at the tournament. The tent was never vacant, with a succession of players and coaches asking about schedules and courts. As much as he had prepared, he could only be so specific about when and where a player would be on a court.

Former car dealer passes away

Irvin “Irv” Schroeder, former owner of Irv Schroeder County Motors, died Tuesday at Parkside Home in Hillsboro. Lyle Ediger, now general sales manager at Midway Motors, began working with Schroeder in 1978 and worked with him until his retirement more than a decade ago.

Crop dusters turn heads above Marion County

Gordon and Judy Pendergraft look up every time they hear a plane flying overhead. The couple, who lives near the airport runway at Marion County Park and Lake, has a special interest in planes as they are both retired from Beachcraft. Judy even used to pilot for the company. Lately, several yellow crop dusting planes have captured their interest with heightened activity from dawn to dusk at the airport. Flying for Ag Service out of rural Hillsboro, the yellow planes are spraying fungicide on area wheat fields to kill and prevent yield-lowering diseases.

Eula L. Colle

Eula L. Colle was born Sept. 12, 1921, on a farm south of Valley Falls, Kan. Her parents were Walter and Pearl White Tosh. Eula was the second of four daughters; her sisters were Lora, Marjorie, and Wanda. When Eula was 5, her father died and Eula’s mother and the girls lived with their grandparents. Eula’s mother remarried to Melvin Irwin in 1930 and the family grew to 10 children.

Robert Finley

Robert Finley, 83, of Herington died May 8 at Medicalodges in Herington. He was born May 20 1929 at Brookings South Dakota the son of the Rev S. Ben and Fern B. (Judd) Finley.

Irvin D. Schroeder

Irvin D. Schroeder, 90, of Hillsboro died Tuesday at Parkside Home in Hillsboro. He was born July 23, 1922, to Peter D. and Katherine (Kim) Schroeder in rural Buhler. He is survived by a son, Bruce D. Schroeder of rural Hillsboro; three grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Theodore 'Ted' Allen Stutzman

Theodore “Ted” Allen Stutzman, 72, died May 12 in Peabody. He was born to Theo Grace (Allen) Lawler and Walter Jacob Stutzman on Feb. 17, 1941, in Peabody. He graduated from Newton High School in 1959 and served four years in the U.S. Air Force. He worked as a train dispatcher for the Santa Fe Railroad.

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Manufacturer asks county about tax breaks

Rolland Boesker of Burns asked county commissioners about possible tax breaks for a proposed manufacturing business. Ridder Industries wants to manufacture equipment to convert water into hydrogen gas, which has industrial uses and can be used as an alternative fuel. The company, based in Burns, is considering Burns and Florence as possible locations.

Tampa approves new sewer pump

Jeff Enlow of Florence and Don Beisel attended the May 6 Tampa City Council meeting to propose an upgrade to the sewer lift station. Only one of two pumps is working. Council members agreed that parts of the lift station are old and may begin to break down. They approved the upgrade at a cost of $34,000.

Durham council discusses storm siren

The Durham City Council spent most of its May 7 meeting discussing whether to install a storm siren. Members were split on the idea. Gary Unruh was opposed, but finally conceded he would support it if it were “done right.” Gene Duke said Durham is the only town in Marion County that does not have a siren. The issue was tabled until Duke obtains more information on how a siren can be activated and how to monitor for storms.

Morel mushrooms popping up bigger than ever

Last year Sherry Hess of Marion felt lucky to find a few average to small size morel mushrooms during prime April and May fungi hunting season. This year, she and other fanciers are finding bigger than ever mushrooms, likely due to the extreme weather conditions experienced in the area. “We’ve found really big ones, tall ones this year,” Hess said. “Some were as tall as an adult hand.”

CDDO to meet Monday

The Board of Directors
of the Harvey-Marion County Community Development Disability Organization will hold its regular monthly meeting at 4 p.m. Monday. The meeting will be held in the office at 500 N. Main St., Suite 204, in Newton.

Music, food to be highlights of Chingawassa Days

Concerts and meals are always the high points of Chingawassa Days in Marion, and this year will be no different. For the first time, Chingawassa will have two concerts with hit musical acts, starting June 7 with contemporary country star Joe Nichols and continuing June 8 with 1990s rock band FireHouse.

Ceramics by Stultz part of Bethel College exhibit

Functional and sculpted ceramics by Grady Stultz are part of the annual senior art exhibit at Bethel College May 3 to 19 in the Fine Arts Center Gallery. Items showcased by Stultz include a three-tiered relaxation fountain, and assorted bowls, plates, and cups.

Work to begin on U.S. 77

U.S. 77 will be overlaid between K-256 east of Marion all the way to the north city limit of El Dorado starting today. The highway will receive a .75 inch mill and 1.5 inch overlay. Flaggers and a pilot car will handle traffic control. There will be a 10-inch width restriction. The construction zone will be in effect during daylight hours. Delays up to 15 minutes may occur.

Zion Luthern Church to host VBS

Zion Lutheran Church, Hillsboro, will host “Tell It on the Mountain, Where Jesus Christ Is Lord” Vacation Bible School for children (pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade). It will be held from 8:45 a.m. to noon June 3 to 5. A snack will be provided. For more information or to register, call 947-3522.

KanCare to be addressed in Marion

The Kansas Health Coalition is sponsoring a KanCare informational meeting at 3 p.m. May 22 at Marion Senior Center, 309 S. Third St., Marion. Anna Lambertson will be on hand to hear concerns and field questions about the implementation of KanCare.

Hymn sing is Sunday at MB church

The monthly community hymn sing will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church, 300 Prairie Pointe. Steve Vincent will lead the service, which will include singing, scripture reading, and prayer. Those attending will have the opportunity to select favorite hymns.

CORRESPONDENTS:

Goessel graduates 20 seniors

There were tears of sadness and air horns of celebration as families, friends, school board members, staff, teachers, and community celebrated with 20 graduating seniors Saturday at Goessel High School’s 2013 graduation ceremony. Senior soloists Tyler Schulz, Davis Cook, and Shane Goerzen sang emotional verses in “I Won’t Give Up” by Mraz and Natter, backed by the soulful Elbiata Singers. Grant Flaming and Schulz shared embarrassing and laughable school-days memories with the audience.

Students revamp courtyard

High school seniors Jordan Bezdek and Micah Mashburn joined forces for one reason this quarter: to make plans to revamp the Courtyard at Hillsboro High School. It all started with an idea in their project management class, and gradually grew over the course of the quarter.

Secretaries keep HHS running smoothly

There is rarely a quiet moment in the front office at Hillsboro High School, but a well-organized pair of secretaries, Lisa Mayfield and Carolyn Brazil, have kept things running smoothly together for more than three years. As the final days of the 2013 school year come to a close, Mayfield and Brazil, have to face the reality that their working and personal friendships are about to go through a major change. Brazil will move to California this summer with her family to take a new position with her father in the family spa manufacturing business in Temecula.

School board accepts declination

Kathy Decker of Hillsboro was elected by write-in votes to serve on the USD 410 school board. She declined the position, and the board accepted. Sixth-grade quilters

Student's story to be televised

A story by Hillsboro Elementary School fourth-grader Charlie Major will be presented on “Green Screen Adventures” at 7:30 a.m. Saturday on KAKE’s Me-TV channel. Charlie’s story is called “The Turtle and the Cell Phone.”

Resource center keeps people in homes

Need help to stay at home or return home from a care facility? Need help with learning skills to live independently, such as washing clothes, cooking, or budgeting money? Need help with using a computer, finding a house to rent, or obtaining transportation or medical equipment? Macy Gaines of the Resource Center for Independent Living can help.

Report abuse before it is too late

Small communities are more likely to have a higher rate of hidden elder abuse — a reality that makes Paul Shipp of Kansas Legal Services sit up and take notice. “It’s hard because they don’t want to report whoever is abusing them,” he said. “It’s usually a child or a spouse — someone they count on, someone that knows that they need them so they can remain independent.”

Service dogs extend partners

Eight years ago, Nanette Lowry of Marion had no interest in getting a service dog, despite a hip problem that occasionally sent her tumbling to the floor. She finally changed her mind after falling three times in a single day in front of her students. When she got Astro, a blockhead lab, and trained him, she was amazed by how much more she could do. “The independence, self-assurance that I can do it, that we can do it,” she said.

Trojans lose in semi-final

Hillsboro freshman pitcher Dylan Nelson had a nightmare sequence in the third inning Tuesday against Marion in a regional game. He gave up a double to Taylor Heidebrecht, the Marion leadoff hitter bounced off the left field wall, in between groundouts to shortstop Jordan Faul. With two outs, he then walked the next four Marion hitters walking in a run.

Softball comes up short against Lyons

Lyons had wrestled control of the regional championship softball game Tuesday in Hillsboro. The Lions scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning to go up 8-3. The Lions strung together five consecutive two-out singles on relief pitcher Tena Loewen, with first base runners going first to third on the shots into the outfield. Four consecutive hits were straight up the middle past Loewen. Julie Sinclair came in and stopped the bleeding with a strikeout.

Good weather helps increase Goessel gold medal count

Thursday was one of the few track meets this year where the weather was advantageous for athletes in the hunt for a gold medal. Goessel girls Tia Goertzen, Ali Buller, and Page Hiebert seized the day and won several Wheat State League events on the Goessel track. Goertzen improved her personal best in the finals of the 100-meter hurdles to capture first place with a time of 17.1 seconds. In the 300-meter hurdles, she breezed to a comfortable win by more than three seconds with a time of 50.6.

Hillsboro golf takes sixth

The Hillsboro golf team placed sixth at the regional golf tournament Monday with a four-man total of 476 points. No team member qualified for state. Evan Ollenburger got 100 points, earning him 15th place. Philip Ediger received 117 points; Andrew Meier, 121; and Graham Pankratz, 138.

Three Hillsboro seniors set league best records

Hillsboro senior Josh Richert paced himself on the first three laps of the 1,600-meter run. He kept up with Ben Berridge of Nickerson and Drew Hageman of Hesston in a top three pack — not necessarily in first, not necessarily out of first. He turned on the jets for the gun lap. He ran with the determined fury of a 400 runner. Over the last 300 meters, the gap between Richert and Berridge opened up to 25 meters, then 50, and almost 75 as Richert crossed the finish line.

Faber duels with Claflin player

Hillsboro tennis player Harry Faber was locked in a match with a more polished version of himself in his second contest of the state tournament. Jason Bieberle of Claflin is about 6-4 and slender, with incredibly long arms and legs. Sound familiar?

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