HILLSBORO Star-Journal

HEADLINES

Moran decries plan to revoke dealerships
Terming them evidence of government meddling, Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., announced his opposition Friday to plans by GM and Chrysler to terminate contracts with local dealerships like Wright’s Inc. of Hillsboro. “Closing community dealerships would do nothing to help these auto companies,” Moran said in a statement. “There is no sense in cancelling contracts for these dealers that bring in money for the auto industry and support our small-town communities.”
Anniversary items on sale
Three Hillsboro businesses have been selected to make commemorative mugs, medallions and T-shirts for the city’s 125th anniversary celebration June 25 to July 3. Each item will include the celebration’s 1884-2009 logo, featuring the Funk Building, better known as Olde Towne.
Vintage fashion show to mark celebration
Friends of the Hillsboro Museums will present a vintage fashion show and contest June 27 as part of Hillsboro’s 125th anniversary. The event will honor Ida Schaeffler, whose shop gave early Hillsboro residents a chance to wear fashions of the times, organizer Sue Wadkins said.
Electric bills getting bigger
Most area residents will begin paying bigger electric bills this month as Westar Energy seeks to recover costs of pollution controls it plans to install. The Kansas Corporation Commission has approved a $32.4 million environmental rider to Westar’s rates. The rider took effect Monday.
Songs on the Lawn to benefit day care
An evening of Christian music and food Sunday on a country lawn near Goessel will raise money for childcare in the community. Songs on the Lawn, in its third year on the farm of Carol Duerksen and Maynard Knepp, benefits Joyful Noise Community Child Care Center in Goessel.
Farmers' market begins this week
Tampa’s Wednesday evening farmers’ market, “Treasures on the Trail,” will begin its summer-long run at 7 tonight in downtown Tampa. Sponsored by the Tampa Community Association, the market will feature fresh produce, plants,baked goods, flea-market tables, crafts, and other items.
Strong City ropes in 72nd rodeo
“Fasten your seatbelts, and get ready for hides, humps, hooves and horns!” Veteran announcer Roger Mooney’s trademark invocation is set to ring out Friday as the 72nd annual Flint Hills Rodeo — the oldest continuous rodeo in Kansas — returns to Strong City.

DEATHS

Elmer Leppke
Elmer K. Leppke, 91, died May 30 at Via Christi-St. Francis Campus in Wichita. Born March 17, 1918, on a family farm south of Marion, he was a lifetime resident of the area.

DOCKET

GOVERNMENT

Leak repair may require pool closure
Hillsboro City employees discovered a leak at Hillsboro Family Aquatic Center, City Administrator Larry Paine told city council Tuesday. The leak was found while preparing the pool for the summer and is in the circulation system for equipment used to clean the deck and yard.
Concerts may help fair
Concerts by Bucky Covington, T. Graham Brown, Kebo Cyrus, and locals The Greenhorns are expected to benefit other events at Marion County Fair, fair board member Chuck McLinden told Marion County commissioners Friday. Marion County Fire Chiefs’ Association is organizing the concerts July 29 through 31. The fair’s signature event, a demolition derby, will be Aug. 1.
Jail committee wants residents' questions
The committee tasked with planning a new jail, sheriff’s office, and 911 center wants county residents’ questions about the project. Public questions and comments would give them a better idea how to approach the project, committee members said Monday in Hillsboro.

OPINION

Too much secrecy -- again
Marion Mayor Mary Olson unknowingly let it slip Monday that county commissioners had illegally met with mayors from nine cities in the county last week to discuss the county’s economic development council and its director. Government entities can have work sessions but such sessions are bound by the same law that requires them to convene in public and notify the press of those meetings.
County is the place to be
June is a great month in Marion County.Everything gets started this weekend with Chingawassa Days in Central Park, Marion. Where else can you get two concerts with legendary performers Foghat and the Bellamy Brothers, a barbecue meal, ice cream, watermelon, children’s games, a poker tournament, and entertainment for a $35 button ($25 if you purchased it before May 31)? Next weekend is the long-awaited Prelude to the Symphony in Florence. Numerous vendors and entertainers are planned with another several thousand visitors attending.

OUTDOORS

Barney and Fish: members of KSU fishing team
Fishing may not be an official sport on college campuses, but it has its place at Kansas State University, where the school’s unofficial fishing team ranks seventh among 160 college teams. Senior Nathan Barney of Tampa has been on the team for two years. The aptly named Jared Fish of Hillsboro, a 2009 KSU graduate, joined last fall and plans to remain on the team as he pursues graduate studies.
Free fishing this weekend
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has declared Saturday and Sunday free fishing days in Kansas. Ordinarily, nonresidents 16 or older and residents age 16 through 64 must have a fishing license, but on this weekend everyone gets to fish for free.
Fishing report
Commission adds white perch to prohibited species list
White perch have been added to the list of species illegal to import, possess or release in Kansas waters. The Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission approved addition of white perch to the list because the species, native to the Atlantic coast of North America, outcompete native species, resulting in declines in their populations.
Community church service planned at reservoir
Our Savior Lutheran Church of Marion and Zion Lutheran Church of Hillsboro will conduct a community worship service at 9 a.m. June 14 at Cottonwood Point, Marion Reservoir. The hand-bell choir of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Wichita, will provide music.
Wear helmets when riding bikes
Spring has arrived and families are gearing up to enjoy the outdoors on bicycles. While inflating tires and checking brakes are important, according to Safe Kids Kansas, a helmet is essential. Safe Kids Kansas urges parents, caregivers, and children to use helmets each time riding bicycling, no matter how long or short the distance.

PEOPLE

Goessel artisan makes time for his hobby building clocks
Orie Voth’s passion for woodworking began in a one-room schoolhouse near Goessel. As a student at Good Hope School, Voth looked forward to Friday afternoons after recess because that was when students did woodworking.
Mennonite records complete circle of history
Four record books from a defunct Prussian Mennonite congregation that have been housed in the Mennonite Library and Archives at Bethel College for more than six decades are being prepared to return to Europe this summer, helping close a circle that encompasses nearly all of Mennonite-Anabaptist history. The books, among the oldest Mennonite-related volumes in existence, are from Gdansk, Poland, formerly Danzig, Prussia, where Dutch adherents to the fledgling Anabaptist movement had begun settling by the 1530s.
Reimers to celebrate golden anniversary
Richard and Marilyn Reimer of Hillsboro will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary with a family reunion and celebration June 12 through 14. A worship service is planned at 10:30 a.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, with the Rev. Frederick Reimer of Jacksonville, Ill., as speaker and other family members participating.
CORRESPONDENTS:
'Round the Town, Northwest of Durham

SCHOOL

After 35 years: A real diploma for a real senior
Karen Glick’s high school graduation was 12 years in the making. Most are. But, hers was different. Instead of graduating in 1973 with her Scott City High School class, the 54-year-old Florence grandmother of 10 proudly walked across the stage May 17 with seniors of the Marion High School class of 2009.
7th grader honored as academically gifted
Seventh-grader Erin E. Wiebe of Hillsboro is among more than 900 academically gifted students selected statewide in the 2009 Duke University Talent Identification Program. Selection is based on students’ scoring in the top 5 percent on SAT or ACT college entrance exams while still in middle school.
Hillsboro teacher receives classroom grant
Hillsboro High School math teacher Bruce Major recently has won a $370 grant to purchase digital writing tablets and Voice Thread technology for his classroom. Kansas Association of American Educators, a non-union professional educators’ association provided the grant.
Students receive college honors
Several college students form Marion County students received honors that were announced this week: Bethel College

SPORTS

Trojans win 9 medals at state track meet
Hillsboro High School track and field team brought home nine medals this weekend at the state meet. Competing at Wichita State University’s Cessna Stadium, Ishmael Morris led the way for the boys’ team with three medals, while Dakota Kaufman brought home two for the girls.
Banman, Bluebirds race to second place
Craig Banman set a Class 1A met record in the 400 meters and led Goessel to second place overall at the state track and field meet this weekend in Wichita. It was assumed if Goessel was to win a team trophy, points would have to come from someone other than Banman.
Bulldogs chew up young Trojans' state title chances in baseball
Daniel Jost sat dejectedly in the Hillsboro dugout, his eyes transfixed on the scoreboard at Manhattan’s Norvell Field. The lone senior on the Trojans’ baseball team, Jost was down to his final chance at a coveted state title after coming close throughout a stellar career as a three-sport standout.
Trojan softball team loses in first round
Hillsboro fell, 11-0, to No. 1 seed Thomas Moor Prep-Marian at the 3A state tournament Friday. The Trojans finished the season 13-11 after winning the Marion regional.
Kunantaev earns medal in golf
Hillsboro junior Daniel Kunantaev took 20th place May 26 at the 3A state golf meet at Tallgrass Country Club, Wichita. Kunantaev shot 86 and tied with Nathan McKenzie of Kansas City Christian and Colten Lamborn of Frontenac.
Schmidt takes eighth in golf
Goessel golfers finished in the top half of the competition May 26 at the 1A state golf tournament at Cherry Oaks golf Course, Cheney. Tyler Schmidt finished in a six-way tie for fourth at 80.

HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Three Hillsboro businesses have been selected to make commemorative mugs, medallions and T-shirts for the city’s 125th anniversary celebration June 25 to July 3. Each item will include the celebration’s 1884-2009 logo, featuring the Funk Building, better known as Olde Towne.

Friends of the Hillsboro Museums will present a vintage fashion show and contest June 27 as part of Hillsboro’s 125th anniversary. The event will honor Ida Schaeffler, whose shop gave early Hillsboro residents a chance to wear fashions of the times, organizer Sue Wadkins said.

Most area residents will begin paying bigger electric bills this month as Westar Energy seeks to recover costs of pollution controls it plans to install. The Kansas Corporation Commission has approved a $32.4 million environmental rider to Westar’s rates. The rider took effect Monday.

An evening of Christian music and food Sunday on a country lawn near Goessel will raise money for childcare in the community. Songs on the Lawn, in its third year on the farm of Carol Duerksen and Maynard Knepp, benefits Joyful Noise Community Child Care Center in Goessel.

Tampa’s Wednesday evening farmers’ market, “Treasures on the Trail,” will begin its summer-long run at 7 tonight in downtown Tampa. Sponsored by the Tampa Community Association, the market will feature fresh produce, plants,baked goods, flea-market tables, crafts, and other items.

“Fasten your seatbelts, and get ready for hides, humps, hooves and horns!” Veteran announcer Roger Mooney’s trademark invocation is set to ring out Friday as the 72nd annual Flint Hills Rodeo — the oldest continuous rodeo in Kansas — returns to Strong City.

Elmer K. Leppke, 91, died May 30 at Via Christi-St. Francis Campus in Wichita. Born March 17, 1918, on a family farm south of Marion, he was a lifetime resident of the area.

Hillsboro City employees discovered a leak at Hillsboro Family Aquatic Center, City Administrator Larry Paine told city council Tuesday. The leak was found while preparing the pool for the summer and is in the circulation system for equipment used to clean the deck and yard.

The committee tasked with planning a new jail, sheriff’s office, and 911 center wants county residents’ questions about the project. Public questions and comments would give them a better idea how to approach the project, committee members said Monday in Hillsboro.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has declared Saturday and Sunday free fishing days in Kansas. Ordinarily, nonresidents 16 or older and residents age 16 through 64 must have a fishing license, but on this weekend everyone gets to fish for free.

Our Savior Lutheran Church of Marion and Zion Lutheran Church of Hillsboro will conduct a community worship service at 9 a.m. June 14 at Cottonwood Point, Marion Reservoir. The hand-bell choir of St. Andrew Lutheran Church, Wichita, will provide music.

Orie Voth’s passion for woodworking began in a one-room schoolhouse near Goessel. As a student at Good Hope School, Voth looked forward to Friday afternoons after recess because that was when students did woodworking.

CORRESPONDENTS:

Hillsboro High School math teacher Bruce Major recently has won a $370 grant to purchase digital writing tablets and Voice Thread technology for his classroom. Kansas Association of American Educators, a non-union professional educators’ association provided the grant.

Several college students form Marion County students received honors that were announced this week: Bethel College

Hillsboro High School track and field team brought home nine medals this weekend at the state meet. Competing at Wichita State University’s Cessna Stadium, Ishmael Morris led the way for the boys’ team with three medals, while Dakota Kaufman brought home two for the girls.

Craig Banman set a Class 1A met record in the 400 meters and led Goessel to second place overall at the state track and field meet this weekend in Wichita. It was assumed if Goessel was to win a team trophy, points would have to come from someone other than Banman.

Hillsboro fell, 11-0, to No. 1 seed Thomas Moor Prep-Marian at the 3A state tournament Friday. The Trojans finished the season 13-11 after winning the Marion regional.

Hillsboro junior Daniel Kunantaev took 20th place May 26 at the 3A state golf meet at Tallgrass Country Club, Wichita. Kunantaev shot 86 and tied with Nathan McKenzie of Kansas City Christian and Colten Lamborn of Frontenac.

Goessel golfers finished in the top half of the competition May 26 at the 1A state golf tournament at Cherry Oaks golf Course, Cheney. Tyler Schmidt finished in a six-way tie for fourth at 80.