HILLSBORO Star-Journal

BREAKINGNEWS

UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE

Hillsboro football falters against Haven
Haven was anything but a safe refuge for Hillsboro Friday, as the visiting Trojans got pasted by the Wildcats, 41-12. Haven’s homecoming was a coming out party for running back Jacob Newcomer, who scorched the Trojans for 247 yards and three touchdowns, including an opening drive 50-yard scoring run.
Walmart Neighborhood Market coming to Hillsboro
After months of speculation, Walmart officially announced it would be opening a Neighborhood Market in Hillsboro, set to open in spring 2015. The store will feature a grocery, pharmacy, a fueling station, and “select household items,” according to the Walmart press release.

HEADLINES

Collision claims 2 lives in Hillsboro
One woman died at the scene of a collision Thursday involving a car and a semi truck at Ash St. and US-56 in Hillsboro, and an injured passenger died Saturday at a Wichita hospital. The driver of the car, Joyce Smith, 82, of Topeka, and passenger Jean Case, 85, of Marion, were struck by an eastbound semi truck as the car started to make a left turn from the highway onto Ash St., according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
Five EMTs earn advanced status
Five of six trainees passed a final exam to become advanced emergency medical technicians on Saturday. The exam was an hours-long hands-on assessment, covering 10 stations. Despite the stress, perhaps none were as nervous as their teacher, EMS director JoAnn Knak.
Huffman promotes county at state fair
There was a time when small Kansas communities and counties flocked to the state fair to promote themselves by setting up booths and distributing materials, but with tight budgets and minimal returns, few do so today. However, Marion County as a tourist destination will be promoted to fairgoers through a collaboration of south central Kansas groups.
Dedication to service can run in the family
Among the character traits necessary to become an emergency service worker, one in particular may be the most common. “We’re all adrenaline junkies, I can say that,” Hillsboro EMT Gary Slater said.
Rare porcupine spotted in Marion County
While Evan Just was returning home from work Friday, he spotted what he first mistook as a badger waddling through a ditch southeast of Aulne, but the creature turned out to be a porcupine. “When I got out of the truck to check it out, it had climbed a tree and was sitting there watching me,” Evan said.
Bugler to sound taps at local schools
Larry Cushenbery never wanted to be a teacher, but he’ll be doing some educating Thursday as he commemorates the 9/11 anniversary with area students. This is the third year Cushenbery, a former bugler for the Wichita Fire Department, will mark the anniversary of the terrorist attacks by playing Taps at locations in Hillsboro and Marion, including schools. At each stop, Cushenbery plays with reverence befitting the occasion, but playing at schools holds extra importance for him.
Donations for street signs sought
Drive down any county road for a few miles, and it’s likely there will be a corner without street signs. County commissioners decided Monday to try a program from Harvey County where residents can pay for signs the county will put on their corners.

DEATHS

Jean Case
Jean Elaine Hagans Case passed away Sept. 6, 2014, following a car accident on her 85th birthday. Jean was born to Frank and Velma Morris Hagans in Augusta, Kansas on Sept. 4, 1929. She moved to Marion at the age of one with her parents and older brother, Bob. Jean graduated from Marion High School with the Class of 1947. She attended Kansas State University, was a member of Delta Delta Delta social sorority, and graduated in 1951 with a B.S. degree in Home Economics. Jean married her high school sweetheart, Alex Case Jr., on Aug. 21, 1952. She was proud to be a Navy wife, moving to Texas and California with Alex after their marriage and returning to live with her parents in Manhattan while Alex served in the Korean War and she awaited the birth of their first child, Deborra. In 1955, the family moved to the house in Marion where Jean lived for nearly 60 years. Soon after arriving in Marion, they added another daughter to their family, Diana, and later a son, Alex (Casey).
Joyce A. Smith
Joyce Ann Duckworth Smith was born December 24, 1931, to Timothy Amzy Duckworth and Mary Magdalene (Herb) Duckworth in their home in Wilson County, Kansas. She was the third of seven children. She attended eight grades of school in the Middletown District, four years of high school in Fredonia, Kansas, and two years of nursing school at Bethany Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas. She was an active member of the Sky Rocket 4-H Club for 9 years.
Max Arndt
Max Arndt, 70, died Friday at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro. He was born Oct. 7, 1943 to Harry and Ora (Callison) Arndt in Cheney. He was preceded in death by a son, Douglas.

DOCKET

FARM

Fall calving
As cattle farmers all over the county enter the fall calving season, expectations surrounding fall numbers are generally high. Ranch owner Mark Harms said agreeable weather over the summer has provided heifers with good conditions for successful pregnancies.
Father, son share corn harvest
Dwight Kruse and his son, Jason, were harvesting corn Thursday on bottom ground near the Cottonwood River just west of Marion. The two men work together, but each one owns and rents separate acres and owns separate equipment. Dwight said he enjoys working with his son.
Brunner defends beef checkoff
Tracy Brunner of Ramona, vice president of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, spoke at a beef producers’ seminar in Emporia on Aug. 22. He defended the beef checkoff, in which one dollar is subtracted from the price cattlemen receive for each head that they sell, as a means to share information with consumers on the safety and nutritious quality of beef.
New grain terminal will benefit producers
Area grain farmers who market grain through local cooperatives may see the cash price they receive increase due to the new grain terminal being built west of Canton. Lyman Adams, Manager of Cooperative Grain and Supply, said farmers may see one-and-a-half to two cents per bushel over the basis price.
Cash grain prices continue to fall
Grain commodities were lower Tuesday across the board compared with a week ago, continuing a downward trend. Cash grain prices at Cooperative Grain and Supply were: wheat, $5.86; milo, $3.04; beans, $11.95; and corn, $3.09.

OPINION

Who will save your life?
Near the end of the Peabody City Council meeting Monday night, Mayor Larry Larsen passed out a copy of the September on-call schedule for emergency medical crews that provide Peabody’s ambulance service. With only a few exceptions, our community is covered 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Some of our EMTs are on call 500 or 600 hours a month, some only a few hours. And yes, there are a few times when the volunteers we have simply won’t stretch to cover every hour of every day. The month of September has 720 hours. Each hour should have at least two volunteers on call, which means our ambulance people are covering 1440 hours. We have seven volunteers. Most of them are stretched pretty thin. Even more troublesome is the fact that Marion County only has 14 emergency medical people countywide! How scary is that?

PEOPLE

Jirak, Simpson exchange vows
Kristine Jirak of Tampa and Mitchell Simpson of Wichita were married at 2 p.m., July 12 at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church, Pilsen. The bride is the daughter of Francis and Mary Jirak, of Tampa. Parents of the groom are Jim and Janice Simpson, of Wichita.
Senior citizens to meet in Peabody
Senior Citizens of Marion County Inc. board of directors will hold its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 19 at Peabody Senior Center. Peabody seniors will be serving lunch. For reservations, call the center at (620) 983-2226 or the Department on Aging at (620) 382-3580 by Sept. 17. Anyone needing transportation is asked to call the office by Sept. 18.
Valley UMC plans homecoming
In honor of its 140th anniversary, Valley United Methodist Church in Marion is planning a homecoming for Sept. 28. The day will include a special worship service featuring the district superintendent and a musical group, a ticketed catered dinner at noon, and an afternoon open house.

SCHOOL

USD 411 receives update on construction
Goessel Board of Education received an update on construction projects in USD 411 at Monday’s meeting. “We’re making progress on multiple fronts every day,” Superintendent John Fast said. “But with these things, it’s never as fast as we would like it to be.”

SPORTS

Hillsboro dominates Sterling
There were plenty of big plays Friday in the Hillsboro Trojans’ season-opening 54-20 thrashing of Sterling at Joel H. Wiens Stadium. Two epitomized the air of confidence that fueled the team all game long. In the first quarter, the Trojans faced fourth-and-five at the Sterling 29, after taking the opening kickoff and driving from their own 32. Quarterback Justus Hilliard had never thrown a pass in competition, but the senior rolled to his right and connected with Jakob Hanschu at the 8. Hanschu found his way to the endzone to stake the Trojans to an early 7-0 lead.
Trojan girls' tennis
Hillsboro girls’ tennis team came in second only to Hesston on Sept. 2 at a home invitational season opener and senior Alison Weber placed second in singles competition Thursday at Sterling. At the Hillsboro Invitational, the girls narrowly missed winning the team title by one point.
Trojan cross country finishes strong
Hillsboro runners strode into the cross country season with a strong finish Saturday in Augusta at the Wichita State University’s JK Gold Classic. “All of our athletes ran well,” coach Stuart Holmes said. “It was a very positive start to the season.”

HILLSBORO Star-Journal

BREAKINGNEWS

After months of speculation, Walmart officially announced it would be opening a Neighborhood Market in Hillsboro, set to open in spring 2015. The store will feature a grocery, pharmacy, a fueling station, and “select household items,” according to the Walmart press release.

Five of six trainees passed a final exam to become advanced emergency medical technicians on Saturday. The exam was an hours-long hands-on assessment, covering 10 stations. Despite the stress, perhaps none were as nervous as their teacher, EMS director JoAnn Knak.

Among the character traits necessary to become an emergency service worker, one in particular may be the most common. “We’re all adrenaline junkies, I can say that,” Hillsboro EMT Gary Slater said.

Drive down any county road for a few miles, and it’s likely there will be a corner without street signs. County commissioners decided Monday to try a program from Harvey County where residents can pay for signs the county will put on their corners.

Max Arndt, 70, died Friday at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro. He was born Oct. 7, 1943 to Harry and Ora (Callison) Arndt in Cheney. He was preceded in death by a son, Douglas.

As cattle farmers all over the county enter the fall calving season, expectations surrounding fall numbers are generally high. Ranch owner Mark Harms said agreeable weather over the summer has provided heifers with good conditions for successful pregnancies.

Dwight Kruse and his son, Jason, were harvesting corn Thursday on bottom ground near the Cottonwood River just west of Marion. The two men work together, but each one owns and rents separate acres and owns separate equipment. Dwight said he enjoys working with his son.

Grain commodities were lower Tuesday across the board compared with a week ago, continuing a downward trend. Cash grain prices at Cooperative Grain and Supply were: wheat, $5.86; milo, $3.04; beans, $11.95; and corn, $3.09.

Kristine Jirak of Tampa and Mitchell Simpson of Wichita were married at 2 p.m., July 12 at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church, Pilsen. The bride is the daughter of Francis and Mary Jirak, of Tampa. Parents of the groom are Jim and Janice Simpson, of Wichita.

In honor of its 140th anniversary, Valley United Methodist Church in Marion is planning a homecoming for Sept. 28. The day will include a special worship service featuring the district superintendent and a musical group, a ticketed catered dinner at noon, and an afternoon open house.

Goessel Board of Education received an update on construction projects in USD 411 at Monday’s meeting. “We’re making progress on multiple fronts every day,” Superintendent John Fast said. “But with these things, it’s never as fast as we would like it to be.”

Hillsboro girls’ tennis team came in second only to Hesston on Sept. 2 at a home invitational season opener and senior Alison Weber placed second in singles competition Thursday at Sterling. At the Hillsboro Invitational, the girls narrowly missed winning the team title by one point.

Hillsboro runners strode into the cross country season with a strong finish Saturday in Augusta at the Wichita State University’s JK Gold Classic. “All of our athletes ran well,” coach Stuart Holmes said. “It was a very positive start to the season.”