HILLSBORO Star-Journal

City 'hiccups' on lot sale contracts

Hillsboro City Council members would have liked a closed session to discuss reservations about approving lot sales to gun shop owner Craig Dodd on Tuesday at their regular meeting. But as that would have been a violation of the Kansas Open Meetings Act, they tried to dance around the delicate issue of information missing from contracts presented by economic development director Clint Seibel. “I have some concerns about the city’s ownership of those lots and who is proposing to buy them,” council member Marlene Fast said. “It’s Clint’s job to bring all the information to the table for us, and I don’t think that has happened here. I am just requesting we table this and give Larry (Paine) a little more time to look into some background issues before going ahead and approving this.”

Holub re-elected to County Commission

Election day was Tuesday, and preliminary results show incumbent Dan Holub winning the race for Marion County Commission District 2, defeating Gary D. Lewis. Results won’t be final until Marion County Commission canvasses the election on Monday, but the preliminary tally was 1,048-781 in favor of Holub.

Poll worker enjoys job

When Marcella Mohn of Hillsboro entered the United Methodist Church polling center Tuesday morning, she knew she would not be coming out until the election was complete. One of the rules polling volunteers must follow is that they are sworn in the morning of the election and cannot leave the center until the ballots are compiled and handed over to the county chairperson. Mohn has served as a voter volunteer for more years than she can remember, but enjoys each experience because of the people she gets to meet.

Relief workers return from East Coast

Ralph and Phyllis Kreutziger of Marion returned late Saturday from an eight-day service trip to Baltimore, Md., as Red Cross volunteers. They served at an emergency shelter set up at the University of Maryland for victims of Hurricane Sandy. They received the call shortly before noon Oct. 27 and by 5 p.m. were leaving Wichita on a plane ticket that was “one way only.” They were committed for up to two weeks but did not know when they would return home.

No place like home for GHS 'Wizard of Oz' star

When Alex Hiebert takes the stage as Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” at Goessel High School Nov. 9 and 10, her connection to the role of a young Kansas girl trying to find her way home goes a bit deeper than just learning the lines and singing the songs. “You can find home wherever you are,” Hiebert said, at a full costume rehearsal Thursday. “But this year I really had to think about where I wanted to be to finish my senior year of high school.”

Stephanie E. Bowers

Stephanie Elizabeth Bowers, 53, of Colby, died Nov. 1. She was born Dec. 3, 1958, to Jack and Sharee Slawson Fromholtz in Colby. She married Russell Bowers on Oct. 9, 1979.

Eldon James Brandt

Eldon James Brandt was born to William P. and Lillian (Bartel) Brandt on Aug. 28, 1928, in Goessel, Kan. His mother passed away when Eldon was very little and his father remarried Anna Ewert, who helped raise him. Eldon grew up in rural Hillsboro, Kan., farming with his father, attended school there, and graduated from Hillsboro High school in 1947. Following graduation, Eldon became a part of Voluntary Service through Mennonite Central Committee, and worked in Chaco, Paraguay, at an experiment farm in the Mennonite colonies. Eldon was placed among the Paraguayan people to develop land where they could plant wheat. He also helped put together parts to make plows and windmills for their use. There he met his wife, Anny Neufeld, a local girl, who was working at the farm. They married in Paraguay, Jan. 29, 1955, and in April that year, he brought his bride back to the United States and made their home near Newton, Kan. Later, they moved to Hillsboro, where they raised three sons.

Clara Bredemeier

Clara Etta Hammer was born near Lincolnville, Kansas, in October 1907. She was the sixth of eight children born to William Leslie and Susan Jane Clapsadle Hammer. Clara attended all 12 grades at Lincolnville, walking to school and working in a grocery store to support her education. She played high school basketball and graduated salutatorian of her class in 1927.

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Sidekick loves her role in agriculture

She might have manure on her boots and a hat on her head when she comes to town to pick up groceries or supplies, but Jamie Peters of rural Hillsboro would not have life any other way. Born into an agriculture family in Illinois and married into the Peters Cow/Calf Ranch southwest of Hillsboro in 1999, Peters believes women have long held an important place in agriculture and will continue to do so as food production becomes paramount in a world with continued population growth.

Farmers test fields for future

Cooperative Grain & Supply agronomist Brian Nickel said this is the time of year — after all the fall crops have been harvested and the winter wheat has been planted — that farmers analyze their yields from previous years. They meet with Nickel to try to make more money. The place where farmers are dropping the most dollars, at the moment, is in fertilizer and seed. Nickel said it is the time of year to apply fertilizer so it absorbs into the soil over the winter. About 80 percent of Marion County farmers have ordered seed a couple months early as one way to save money.

Early outlook for 2013: more wheat

Cooperative Grain & Supply Agronomist Brian Nickel tries to save farmers money, but he does not tell them what to plant; he leaves that important decision up to the individual producer. What he does do is keeps informal track of what different farmers are planting. Across the board, wheat has become a more attractice crop in Marion County.

County FSA election begins

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency office for Marion County has mailed out about 1,000 ballots for the county FSA committee election, continuing through the beginning of December. Grahamme Glaser, a Peabody-area farmer, is the only candidate on the ballot to represent the southeast portion of the county. The committee has three members who serve for staggered three-year terms. The committee helps steer USDA and FSA programs at the county level.

ECP deadline Nov. 15

Cost share funds are availaboe to help provide emergency water to livestock for agriculture producers affected by drought in all Kansas Counties except Republic County. Emergency Conservation Program signup began on oct. 15 and will continue through Nov. 15. Kansas has received $6.1 million in ECP allocation to help producers in need to assistance. Producers can receive cost-share assistance of up to 75 percent of the cost of temporary measures and 50 percent of the cost for permanent measures for approved emergency conservation practices. Practices approved are EC6 Drought Measures (an example is constructing and deepening wells) and EC7 Hauling Water for Livestock

Farmland prices high

Prices for farmland in Marion County have been generally increasing in the past five years, but they have recently been booming, and a big part of the reason has been the overall national financial environment. Interest rates — both for loans and savings — are very low, and the stock market has been volatile since the housing bubble burst.

Commission approves lot split at lake

Marion County Commission approved a final plat Oct. 31 to allow Gary Dunnegan to split his property at 71 Lakeshore Drive at Marion County Park and Lake into two lots. Dunnegan already has a home on part of the property. He requested the lot split with the intention of building another house on the second lot. Construction has already begun following the approval, Planning and Zoning Director Tonya Richards said Thursday.

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Marion County 4-H Endowment to meet

The annual meeting of the Marion County 4-H Endowment Fund (formerly Marion County 4-H Development Fund) will be 7 p.m. Monday at the Cooperative Grain & Supply office, 135 N. Main St., Hillsboro. The board of directors invites anyone interested to attend.

Volunteers meet to can meat

Every fall, volunteers from several Marion County churches meet at the Mennonite Central Committee distribution center in North Newton to can meat. Their efforts provide valuable protein to others in need, across the seas and closer to home. Volunteers from Eden Mennonite Church near Burns joined workers from adjoining counties Nov. 1 and 2 to cut, weigh, can, and label several batches of turkey. The MCC mobile canning unit makes 33 stops at Mennonite churches throughout the United States and Canada each year.

Department to help aging enroll in drug plans

Marion County Department on Aging will be helping individuals enroll in Prescription Drug Plans every Thursday morning from 10 a.m. to noon. Interested person can walk-in for assistance enrolling or comparing 2013 plans. Appointments can be scheduled 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday by calling (620) 382-3580.

Make sure donations go to legitimate charities

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt warns people to be aware of possible scam artists seeking to profit from the public’s generosity after Hurricane Sandy struck the east coast. Schmidt warns the public to make sure they are giving to a reputable charity and to specify that a charity uses donations for intended purposes. Tips

Donate to established organizations with a strong track record providing and organizing disaster relief.

Initiate the donation rather than responding to online or phone solicitations.

Avoid door-to-door solicitors.

Do not fall prey to high-pressure pitches from solicitors. Legitimate charities allow time to think about how much and when to donate.

Small business consultant in Marion Nov. 28

Emporia State University Small Business Development Center will have a small business consultant in Marion from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 28 for one-on-one consultations at Butler Community College, 412 N. Second St. Call (316) 218-6311 to schedule an appointment to discuss issues concerning an existing business or starting a new business. Our consulting services are free and confidential.

TEEN meeting is Nov. 14

The Technology Excellence in Education Network will hold it’s regular meeting at 6 p.m. Nov. 14 at the Marion District Office, 101 N. Thorp St., Marion. For more information call Brandi Hendrix at (620) 877-0237.

Child screening Nov. 13 in Goessel

A free screening for children birth through age 5 will be held Nov. 13 at the Goessel Mennonite Church, 103 S. Church St. Appointments will be available from 12:30 through 3 p.m. At the screening, learning, motor, language, and social development will be checked. This process usually takes at least an hour for a child to complete.

Lavonne Wiens turning 80

LaVonne Wiens will be celebrating her 80th birthday Nov. 10. In honor of this special occasion, those wishing to send cards may send them to 1244 140th, Hillsboro KS 67063. Lavonne is married to Eldon Wiens. They have four children: Brad and Jane Wiens, rural Hillsboro; Diane and Garvie Schmidt, Hillsboro; Kim and Amy Wiens, Midlothian, Texas; and Cheryl and D.J. Kauffman, Hutchinson. They have 12 grandchildren.

Adult Girl Scouts reunite

The first Silver and Gold adult Girl Scout reunion of area Flint Hills Scouts was Nov. 3 at the Double E Campgrounds in Emporia. Lifetime Girl Scouts Betty Sanders, daughters Carol Laue of Marion and Christine Laue of Omaha, Neb., and Eileen Sieger of Marion were in attendance.

Family celebrates Hein's 104th birthday

The family of Tillie Hein of Tampa celebrated her 104th birthday with a dinner Sunday at the Kirby House in Abilene. Those joining her were Don and Carolyn Srajer, Omaha, Neb.; Dee Scott and Bill Remington, Emporia; Jim and Kris Srajer, Cole, and Grant, Tampa; Shelby Makovec, Lost Springs; Mike and Kathy Bauer, Ryan, and Cassie, Omaha, Neb.; Dave and Susan Bauer, William, and Andrew, Omaha, Neb.; Kristin O’Hern, Gretna, Neb.; Deb Scott and Terry Dody, Manhattan; Jason and Tamara Dody, Paxton, Payton, and Prycen, Calflin; Pam Fillmore, Cottonwood Falls; Becky and Emily Nottingham, Ozakie; and Alex Nottingham, Manhattan.

Northwest of Durham

The Durham Senior Citizens met for a noon potluck dinner on Oct 24 at the community building. In the absence of Gary and Lila Unruh, Joan Harmon and Joyce Medley were hosts. A group of 15 people ate the meal and visited. On Oct. 27, Larry and Wanda Koehn went to Newton and took Larry’s sister, Lena Koehn, and Margie Jantz out for supper. This was in honor of Lena’s Oct. 26 birthday.

Round the town

Duane and Shirley Hamm attended the 49th annual Garlow family reunion on Oct. 20. Duane and Shirley Hamm and Dee and Venita Waggner of Sedgwick attended the burial of their sister-in-law from Effingham, Ill., on Oct. 13 at Hazelton at the Rose Hill Cemetery.

County set for weekend of school productions

Four high schools in Marion County will be presenting musical productions this weekend, as Marion, Hillsboro, Peabody-Burns, and Goessel students take to the stage. Show times and tickets

Marion High School presents “Once Upon a Mattress,” 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at USD 408 Performing Arts Center. Advance tickets cost $3 for adults or $2 for children younger than 12 and are available at County Seat Decorating Center. Tickets at the door cost $5.

Hillsboro High School presents “Roald Dahl’s Willy Wonka,” 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at the HHS auditorium. Tickets cost $5 and are available at the HHS office.

Peabody-Burns High School presents “The Big Bad Musical,” 7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday. Advance tickets cost $5 and are available at the PBHS office. Tickets at the door cost $8.

Goessel High School presents “The Wizard of Oz,” 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the GHS auditorium. Tickets cost $5 for adults or $3 for children, students, and senior citizens and are available at the GHS office.

HHS FFA attends national convention

Hillsboro FFA sent nine members to the National FFA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind. The group traveled Oct. 22 to Kansas City. The next day they went to St. Louis, Mo., where they went up the Gateway Arch and toured Anheuser-Busch.

HHS announces students of month

Hillsboro High School students of the month for October are Erich Herbel and Tena Loewen. Erich is the son of Delayne and Christine Herbel. Tena is the daughter of Dave and Joanne Loewen.

Goessel schools to host community tours

Following special meetings between USD 411 Board of Education members, teachers, staff, concerned patrons, and building and curriculum experts, Goessel schools will host two learning tours for community patrons in November. “We are wanting to help raise public awareness of our district needs at this time,” Superintendent John Fast said. “We are hosting these two tours to allow people a chance to ask questions, inquire about what we want to do, and to hopefully understand what we are talking about when we refer to expansion needs.”

HHS football makes comeback attempt

The Hillsboro High School football team was despondent after a 38-34 loss to Sedgwick Saturday in Hillsboro. Coach Lance Sawyer’s normally exuberant postgame speech was delivered in a whisper. The players could not hide their disappointment that the season would not continue to Friday. “These kids expected more all year, that’s what made us good,” Sawyer said.

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