BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
Kent Becker of Durham is the choice of Republican electors in the county’s 1st District to fill the county commission position soon to be vacated by Lori Lalouette.
Jared Jost and Craig Dodd, both of Hillsboro, also were nominated at Thursday’s district Republican meeting at the Scout House in Hillsboro. Becker won by garnering 9 out of a possible 17 votes. Jost received 5 votes, and Dodd, 3.
A man who allegedly amassed a $94,000 tab in stolen and damaged property on Christmas Day at the home of county residents, Merle and Michelle Flaming, is in custody after a two-month multi-state crime spree that began in Missouri, screamed through Kansas, and climaxed in Arizona with a five-hour standoff.
Merle Flaming was somewhat relieved to hear the news; nevertheless, the ordeal left him questioning societies’ moral fiber.
A grandfather who adopted his three granddaughters after his daughter was murdered by her husband has been charged with a dozen allegations of indecent liberties with a child.
Jerry Thouvenell, 56, Marion, was arrested Feb. 3 by Marion police on 12 counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child younger than 14.
Creating a countywide economic development corporation was the big idea to come out of eight months of research by the county’s economic development task force, and creating it will come with a big price tag — about $800,000 over five years from county coffers.
Commissioners didn’t make a financial commitment to start the wheels turning Monday, but reacted positively to the concept.
True love and a soul mate may seem elusive to some, but the story of one odd duck and his righteous chick stand as a testament to the power and authenticity of love, even if it is a little strange sometimes.
Enter Puddles.
Some people are known to fear change. Not Dale Franz, who will be going through a huge one when he officially moves his grocery store, Dale’s Supermarket, from its location in downtown Hillsboro to the former Heartland Grocery Store building in Hillsboro Heights.
Dale’s Supermarket has been at it’s current location since 1959.
Daryl E Bartel, 64, died Saturday at Wesley Medical Center, Wichita.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church, Hillsboro, with interment preceding the service at 1 p.m. at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at Jost Funeral Home.
A memorial service for Larry Bina will begin with a Rosary at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at St. John Nepomucene Church in Pilsen.
A memorial service and lunch will follow.
Kenneth L. “Ken” Throop, 80, died Feb. 7 at Salem Home in Hillsboro.
Cremation has taken place. A private family service is being planned.
Facts are facts, and crimes are crimes, whether we report on them or not. And the fact is, we report them. We’re a newspaper, not a weekly shopper or a gossip sheet; news is what we do, and for better or worse, crime is news.
You’re the ones who tell us it is by what you choose to read. It’s not uncommon to see someone buy our paper at the newsstand and immediately turn to the docket page to look to see who’s been arrested in the past week, who was caught speeding and how big their fines were, and what justice was meted out to criminals by the court. Our readership statistics consistently rank docket items among our highest-read.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
What do you talk about?
Adults, young and old, will be able to learn a variety of dance styles including line, jazz, salsa, hip-hop, stepping, and praise dancing, in classes offered by Tricia Marshall and Hillsboro Recreation Commission.
Classes will be at 6 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays starting Feb. 21 at Hillsboro City Hall, and will run through March 31. Cost is $3.00.
A reception will take place at 6 p.m. Friday in the Hillsboro Middle School lobby to honor those who have received grants from the Hillsboro Community Foundation.
Recipients will tell a little about their plan for the grant they are receiving.
NORTHWEST OF DURHAM:
Morning Star Youth sing to sick friend'ROUND THE TOWN:
Pankratz celebrates birthday
Love was in the air Tuesday; it was St. Valentine’s Day.
Also in the air was the sound of music, provided by Hillsboro’s Spirit-n-Celebration choir as they went around the community delivering singing valentines.
Main Street Ministries will be the beneficiary of a Hillsboro FFA chapter pancake feed from 6 to 11 a.m. Saturday at Old Towne Event Center.
A $5 donation is suggested. A portion of the proceeds will be used to purchase protein items for Main Street Ministries.
Hillsboro first through sixth graders will have an opportunity to visit underground salt mines in Hutchinson and bowl at Bluejay Lanes.
The trip, sponsored by Hillsboro Recreation Commission, will cost $30. Registrations are due by Friday.
Exploring the world, enjoying nature, building character, and having fun are themes to sing about at Goessel Elementary School “MusicGo” music program at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Thursday at the school gymnasium.
Kindergarten and first grade choir, second through fourth grade choir, fifth grade choir, and fifth grade band will perform pieces chosen to correspond with the school-wide theme “BluebirdGo,” which encourages students to achieve personal and class goals.
Marion resident Claude Landis appreciates being able to get his cardiac rehabilitation close to home instead of driving to Newton for it.
Landis, 79, said he didn’t pass his stress test at his cardiologist’s office in Newton.
Anita Weber has seen many hairstyles come and go in the 54 years she’s been serving customers at Anita’s Beauty Salon in Marion.
“Now customers want different colors,” she said. “I won’t say it’s good or bad. It’s just an individual choice.”
Hillsboro welcomed Kingman to town Friday with the task of picking up momentum in the final stretch of the regular season to negotiate dangerous but manageable sub-state brackets, but they were only half as successful as they had hoped.
It took the boys three quarters to get in gear, but behind a fourth-quarter tear by Darian Ratzlaff, they put the Eagles away 52-34.
Hillsboro placed seventh among nine teams and two wrestlers earned top three spots finishes Saturday at the Central Kansas League tournament in Pratt.
Raymond Johnson took second at 113-pounds pinning four opponents before losing a close finals match 6-4 to an opponent that had pinned him last week.
The Goessel girls finished the Wheat State League season with a 9-0 record, recording another league championship with a 46-15 thrashing of Peabody-Burns Friday at Peabody.
It was homecoming for Peabody Burns, but Goessel was not distracted. The Bluebirds scored 10 unanswered points in the first quarter to take a 10-0 lead. The Warriors played zone defense to improve their rebounding chances, but the Bluebirds were hitting from a distance. Goessel went into halftime with a 20-4 lead.
A “coloring, cookies, and conversation” event for adults will be at Marion City Library from 1 to 3 p.m. Friday.
Coloring pages and pencils are provided.
Upcoming events for the year and the March service project will be topics of discussion at a Hillsboro Young Professionals Lunch-n-Learn meeting at noon Feb. 23 at Hillsboro City Building.
Lunch will be pizza at a cost of $6.
Janice Ronald, owner and founder of Family Dog Training and Behavioral Center in Valley Center, will talk Friday at Lifelong Learning about training service dogs, especially dogs trained to help people who suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome and traumatic brain injuries. The event begins at 9:45 a.m. in the Wohlgemuth building on Tabor campus.
Attendees should park at one of the south Tabor parking lots. Golf cart shuttles will be available.
Young Irelanders, eight performers who will perform Irish traditional music, song, and dance, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25 at McPherson Opera House.
Tickets are $10 for students and up to $35 for general public, and may be purchased at mcphersonoperahouse.org, (620) 241-9152, or at the opera house box office.
An international team of filmmakers are on the lookout for Kansans to participate in a statewide essay contest to describe the influence of poetry on their lives.
Participants are invited to explain in 600 words why their favorite poem is important to them.