HILLSBORO Star-Journal

Pumpkin race is fun for all

Power Rangers, princesses, cheerleaders, the President of the United States, a toilet paper roll, and many other colorful characters gathered Saturday morning on Grand Street just east of First Mennonite Church in Hillsboro for the fourth running of The Great Pumpkin Race. “We just love to do this,” race master of ceremonies and event spokesperson Kelly Linnens of Hillsboro said. “The costumes were really great this year. We had awards and certificates for race winners and costume class winners, so almost everyone went home with something.”

Hillsboro WWII veteran visits D.C. memorial

Gladys Schmidt of Hillsboro held hands with her husband of 65 years, James, as they sat together in his room Oct. 14 at Bethesda Home in Goessel. Much had changed over the years for James since he returned to the Unitied States from service in the Philippines and Japan during World War II, but two things have remained constant. One is Gladys. The other?

Toy Run brings Christmas to kids

The 19th annual Marion County Toy Run will take place on Nov. 3. The sponsors — Sons of American Legion 366, ABATE of Kansas District 9, and Route 56 Classic Cruisers — request that participants donate one new toy as their entry fee. These toys, as well as donations and money raised at an auction and chili feed after the toy run, will be donated to community Christmas trees and area ministerial organizations to provide a better holiday season for many kids in Marion County.

AGAPE donation to aid Goessel senior citizens

Not quite a year ago, AGAPE senior center in Goessel closed its doors. Last week, board president Norman Schmidt officially donated the final proceeds from the sale of the facility to the Goessel Community Foundation. He presented a check for $20,000 to GCF vice president Myron Schmidt and Central Kansas Community Director Sandi Fruit. “We realized we just couldn’t keep going the way we were,” Schmidt said. “Our discussions always centered on the fact that we wanted to keep this money in the community to aid our seniors and that purpose will be served with the Goessel Community Foundation.”

Jeannette D. Bentz

Jeannette D. Bentz, 48, died Friday at Kansas City Hospice House after a battle with cancer. She was born July 3, 1964, in Hillsboro to Clinton and Elaine Young Bentz. She graduated from Centre High School in 1982 and received a bachelor’s degree from Kansas State University. She was a regional accounting manager for the University of Phoenix.

Tammy Marie Chizek

Tammy Marie (Gallatin) Chizek, 52, died Oct. 10, 2012, from her battle with multiple sclerosis. She was born Nov. 16, 1959, in Wichita to George Angle and Ardythe Gallatin. She worked for Sharpline from 1978 to 1993. She had lived in Marion Manor in Marion and Parkside Homes in Hillsboro for the past nine years.

Harold H. Conyers

Harold H. Conyers, 84, passed away Oct. 20, 2012, at Marion Assisted Living. He was born in Marion on Aug. 11, 1928, the youngest of 11 children born to James P. and Anna K. Hayen Conyers. He proudly served his country with the United States Army during the Korean War. On Nov. 20, 1964, he was united in marriage to Vivian I. Klein. He was a retired welding crew chief with the AGCO Corporation of Hesston.

Edna May Janzen

Edna May Janzen, 83, formerly of Scott City, passed away Oct. 20, 2012, at her residence. She was born July 14, 1929, near Marion, the daughter of Henry and Margaret Friesen Winter. She was a graduate of Marion High School. On July 8, 1951, she was united in marriage to Norman L. Janzen. They were longtime residents of Scott City, where she served as Scott County Treasurer, being appointed by the governor in 1976 and elected in 1977.

Mary Ann Trumble Meysing

Mary Ann (Trumble) Meysing, 78, of Garden City died Sept. 28 at St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City. She was born July 17, 1934, in Lincoln, Neb., to Paul Bernard and Mary Elizabeth (Yockel) Trumble. She graduated from high school in 1952 in Denver, Colo. She entered the convent for 10 years and graduated from Sacred Heart College in 1963 with a degree in elementary education. She taught for 33 years.

Leonard Schmidt

Leonard Schmidt, 87, Salina, entered immortality on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012. Mr. Schmidt was born June 19, 1925, in Hillsboro, Kan., the son of Benjamin B. and Agnes Woldt Schmidt. He was one of 11 children. Upon graduation from high school, Mr. Schmidt served in the U.S. Navy from 1943 to 1945 during World War II and was stationed in Japan during the Korean War from 1949 to 1953.

June Esther Heinze Warkentin

June Esther Heinze Warkentin, 88, of Reedley, Calif., died Oct. 14. She was born April 25, 1924, in Hillsboro to Andrew and Mollie (Steinert) Heinze. She was an office manager and a homemaker. She married Ervin John Warkentin on Dec. 29, 1946.

Ida Lucille Wyss

Ida Lucille Wyss, 84, died Friday at Salem Home in Hillsboro. She was born April 12, 1928, at Newton to James Luther and Gladys (Merrell) Phillips. She grew up at Burns and graduated from Burns High School in 1946. She married Richard L. Wyss on Sept. 22, 1946, at Ebenezer Methodist Church, rural Burns. She was a homemaker and worked as a cook at the Cedar Point school.

Accidents

Civil cases

County jail

Criminal cases

Deeds

Emergency dispatches

Hillsboro police

Offenses

Peabody police

Traffic cases

County may ask oil companies to pay for roads

A Marion County Road and Bridge Department crew put a fresh layer of gravel over 230th Road this past week. To Dina Vogel, who lives on 230th, it was about time something was done. She said she is tired of having to complain so forcefully to have the ruts driven in by oil trucks repaired on her road.

County rents storage space

Marion County Commission approved a storage contract with Cooperative Grain and Supply in Hillsboro. The 4,800 square foot storage building in Hillsboro’s industrial park would house a generator, command, tower, and small trailer and a pickup truck that was confiscated for evidence by Marion County Sheriff’s Department. Rent for the agreement would cost $250. The commission is looking for a one-year commitment for the space, although the coop has to approve the deal.

MEDI reviews city's strengths, weaknesses

Harvey County Economic Development Director Mickey Dean met with Marion Economic Development Inc. earlier this year to facilitate a discussion of what MEDI members perceive Marion’s strengths, opportunities, weaknesses, and threats are relative to future economic growth. On Friday, MEDI President Todd Heitschmidt reviewed the findings of that analysis at the Marion Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon. Strengths

Schools, both scholastics and facilities.

Marion’s status as county seat, providing jobs and bringing people into town on business.

St. Luke Hospital’s services and facilities.

Parks.

Location, centrally located in the county and region.

Welcoming community members.

Recreational opportunities, including surrounding lakes.

Variety of retail locations — downtown, on the hill, and along the highway.

Service industries.

Butler Community College satellite campus. Weaknesses

Blighted areas, some highly visible.

The short drive to other cities makes it easy for residents to shop out-of-town for things they could get in Marion.

Divided retail areas — the diversity that is a strength can also be a weakness by spreading things out.

A shortage of manufacturing and industrial jobs.

Multitude of restaurants spreads the market thin.

A shortage of leadership and open-mindedness.

Pockets of negativity, the minority of unhappy people being more vocal than those who are happy in Marion. Heitschmidt also said visitors have commented that the community is more welcoming than the impression they got from the Marion County Record.

Unrealistic zoning regulations, based on the City of Lawrence’s regulations.

Entrepreneurial insight — there are lots of people with good ideas who don’t have the necessary business sense to make them successful. Opportunities

Plenty of buildings available for new or expanding businesses.

State Rural Opportunity Zone designation provides incentive for people to move to Marion.

Revision of zoning regulations to make them more appropriate for Marion.

Entrepreneurship training, which has already started at Butler Community College.

Educating the whole community on why things are being done the way they are.

Space in business and industrial parks.

The country’s growing aging population needs services available in Marion.

Hiring a new city economic development director, which Heitschmidt hopes to have done by Jan. 1.

Partnering with Hillsboro. “It’s better to have something in Marion or Hillsboro than not in Marion County at all,” he said.

Fostering community investors. Threats

Losing businesses.

Local and national economy.

The looming election and accompanying uncertainty.

A shortage of highly skilled employees.

Apathy.

Slow progress. Heitschmidt said economic development sometimes feels like walking through quicksand.

Out-of-town retailers.

Poverty.

Youth and capital drain — Marion needs more jobs for people to come back to after college.

Shrinking population and tax base.

Some committee members saw partnering with Hillsboro as a threat.

Groups plan to rake leaves

Two youth organizations in Marion are planning yard-raking projects this fall. Marion High School Key Club will have a community service project of raking leaves for senior citizens who are unable to do so themselves, sponsor Lori McLinden said. And the second-grade Brownie Girl Scouts have started raking yards to raise money for Marion Ministerial Alliance.

New house fulfills dream

A house being built on South Ash Street in Hillsboro is one of six or seven that are under construction in Marion County. Owner Larry Heidel, 64, a retired school principal, said he and his wife had discussed building a new house several years ago but it was put on the back burner after she was diagnosed with leukemia. She died a year ago, and Heidel decided to honor her by going ahead with their plans.

Homeowner: Know what you want

Alan and Susie Hett moved into their new home on Remington Road north of Marion in December. Susie Hett served as the contractor — a savings of 25 percent, she said — and drew up the floor plan. Hett said others considering building a new home should spend time thinking about what they want the house to include so as not to interfere with construction after the walls are in place.

It's time to winterize

With the farmer’s almanac touting lots of snow this winter, experts are advising residents to winterize their homes and yards. Real estate agent Lori Heerey said there are some simple steps to take to prepare your home for winter. She said to remove all hoses and pack your water meter — the old school way with a gunnysack and leaves would still work. She also said there are covers for attic fans.

Actions speak louder than words

Gov. Sam Brownback announced Oct. 17 a brand-new initiative in his quest to get more education funding into classrooms with a website for people to report incidents that show room for increased school efficiency. At least, that’s one way to look at it. Another way to look at it is as Brownback’s latest effort to drum up excuses to cut school funding. Brownback likes to cite a report that says only 54 percent of school funding goes into classrooms and for instruction, with the implication that the remaining 46 percent is wasteful spending.

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Soybean yields low

Soybean harvest is in full swing, and it won’t take long to finish, said Mike Thomas, Cooperative Grain and Supply branch manager in Marion. Full-season beans are almost all harvested, and double-crop beans — planted amid wheat stubble after harvest — will probably be harvested within a week. Most bottom ground is producing yields between 20 and 30 bushels per acre, Thomas said. In a good year he would expect those fields to produce closer to 40 to 45 bushels per acre. The hot, dry summer obviously influenced yields, he said.

Bus trip to Eisenhower Museum offered

The Tabor College Alumni Office is organizing a bus trip to the Eisenhower Museum in Abilene on Nov. 14. “War and Peace,” an exhibit currently on display, features the artwork of Shin-hee Chin, Tabor College associate professor of art and graphic design. A chartered bus leaving from Wichita at 8:50 a.m. will stop in Newton and Hillsboro. The group will eat an early lunch in Abilene and will tour Chin’s exhibit. She will be on hand to provide commentary. The presentation will be at noon.

Goessel museum plans Sunday hymn sing

Sunday afternoon Faspa-at-the-Museum will feature a hymn sing at 3 p.m. Sunday in the preparatory school on the grounds of Mennonite Heritage and Agricultural Museum, 200 N. Poplar in Goessel. Faspa, a traditional Low German Mennonite light meal, will be served at 4 p.m.

Cottonwood causes consternation for fire department

An old cottonwood tree, struck by lightning caused several days of consternation last week for the Goessel Fire Department. Things came to a head Thursday, when a passer-by traveling along K-15 Highway two miles south of the intersection with 56 Highway called in a possible fire at the tree’s location. “We had been out five times already in the past few days,” firefighter John Unruh said. “It was just a huge tree, hollow all the way down, but we couldn’t get enough water down in there to put the fire completely out. With the high winds on Thursday we just had to get this thing taken care of before it got bigger.”

Extension service honors Winkler

Doris Winkler of Marion was recognized as Kansas State University Research and Extension Service’s Local Unit Office Professional of the Year for 2012 at an awards luncheon Oct. 17 in Manhattan. Winkler began her career as the office professional in the Marion County extension office in 1961. Agent Rickey Roberts nominated her for the honor.

Democratic women to meet

Marion County Democratic Women will meet at noon Friday at Marion Senior Center. Women are asked to bring ramen noodles for Marion County Emergency Food Bank.

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USD 411 consults experts about expansion

Goessel USD 411 may be just a few steps away from offering top-of-the-line agriculture, food, and science instructional facilities and curriculum that could propel the district to the forefront of preparing students for the future. At a special meeting Oct. 17, board of education members, staff representatives, and several community members met with Shannon Washburn and Steve Harbstreit of Kansas State University College of Agriculture to discuss upgrade and expansion plans. Also present were architectural advisers Lester Limon and David Stewart of PKHLS Architectural Firm in Newton.

Tabor professor to be part of discussion panel

The celebration of Bethel College’s 125th year continued with the 2012 Menno Simons Lectures, Oct. 28 through 30 at Bethel. Keith L. Sprunger, author of the newly published “Bethel College of Kansas 1887-2012” will be this year’s speaker for four sessions 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 28, Oct. 29, and Oct. 30 and 11 a.m. for convocation.

Hillsboro volleyball wins sub-state

The Hillsboro High School volleyball team clinched a spot in the 3A state tournament Friday in Salina with a 25-14 and 25-22 victory over Sedgwick in the sub-state final Saturday in Halstead. Head coach Sandy Arnold was more relieved than excited after the victory. After the Trojans lost to Sedgwick on Oct. 16, she had pondered a possible matchup with the Cardinals all week.

Trojans respond to adversity

Marion held a 21-14 lead over the Hillsboro High School football team with 3 minutes, 35 seconds to play in the second quarter. The Warriors had all the momentum. For the first time all season, the Trojan defense looked vulnerable against the run. The lightning quick duo of running back Brody Carroll and quarterback Taylor Heidebrecht had carved the Hillsboro front seven for big gains. Marion’s blocking scheme, using the left guard to block down on Tyrell Thiessen, had allowed Warrior runners to burst into the second level of the defense untouched.

Goessel volleyball season ends

For four Goessel High School seniors, it was not the way they wanted the 2012 volleyball season to end. The Bluebirds went into sub-state with 27 wins and also knowing that one of the best teams in the state was in their sub-state. So the Bluebirds had to be at the top of their game to advance to the tournament at Hays. Goessel came out in the semi-final match with a crushing victory, beating the home team Flint Hills High School, 25-6 and 25-9. The win advanced the Bluebirds to the championship match against Olpe, immediately following their win over Flint Hills. Goessel lost the first set 25-19, and ran out of offensive weapons in the second set losing 25-14.

GHS football wins 4th district game

Goessel High School football team’s success through the air contributed to a win Friday at White City. The Bluebirds amassed 472 yard of offense as they had to play from behind to defeat the Huskies in an important win in District play. The Bluebirds trailed 12-8 at the end of the first quarter and remained behind 20-16 at halftime. Goessel’s defense held the home team scoreless in the third period and gained the lead 30-20. The Bluebirds scored twice in the fourth quarter to seal the win, 44-28.

Sechrist and Richert qualify for state

Hillsboro High School cross-country team will have two representatives at state after sophomore Emily Sechrist won the girls’ 4-kilometer race and senior Josh Richert placed eighth in the boys’ 5-kilometers. Both advanced to state in 2011. “Our regional was really strong again this year, so to qualify was difficult,” coach Stuart Holmes said. “Qualifying for state again is a result of all the hard work that Emily and Josh have put in this year.”

Team runners qualify Goessel for state

By only three points, the Goessel High School Bluebirds boys’ cross-country team qualified for the state cross-country meet Saturday in Wamego. Although Colony Crest had three runners finishing faster than Goessel’s top three, the team score is determined by the top four runners for each school. Senior Davis Cook led the team to the finish line with a 13th-place individual finish. It was the next three runners that sealed the spot at state with Grant Flaming, 19th; Nathan Czarnowsky, 21st; and Ben Wiens, 22nd place. The Bluebirds’ team points were 63 to Colony-Crest’s 66.

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