PEABODY Gazette-Bulletin

County commissioners fed up with road conditions

County commissioners, tired of roads in the Diamond Vista wind farm area not being maintained to their standards, discussed taking action against the company Monday. Damage from heavy rains has led to a dispute over whether the county or the wind farm company should be responsible for repairs. Enel Green Energy, the company developing Diamond Vista, considers the heavy rains to be an unforeseeable event not in the scope of their responsibility.

Local bands set for Labor Day concert, dance

Florence’s Labor Day celebration will be a three-day event Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 and 2. This year’s theme will be “99.96% Pure Fun.” Citywide garage sales will start at 8 a.m. Aug. 31. Florence Chamber of Commerce will serve biscuits and gravy at Veterans Park on Main St.

Theater restoration expands future entertainment

When Catherine Weems and her husband bought the Sunflower Theatre this spring, the goal was to restore it as a performing arts venue. “We also wanted to make it a multi-purpose venue,” she said. “Stage performances, movie showings, and just have a place to do all kinds of different community activities.”

Bartel makes great strides toward recovery from spinal cord injury

Eric and Danielle Bartel’s world forever changed when Eric suffered severe spinal injuries in a one-vehicle rollover accident April 19. He was thrown from the vehicle, and his injuries left him temporarily paralyzed from his neck on down.

Third wind farm lawsuit filed

Opponents of the proposed Expedition Wind Farm filed a lawsuit against Marion County commissioners Aug. 14 appealing the commission’s approval of a conditional use permit for the project. The lawsuit, filed by Peabody farmer Randy Eitzen and 72 other opponents, claims approval of the permit “was unreasonable and therefore void.”

Beer garden offers long-term opportunity

When Jimmy Shipman opens The Rabbit Hole as a beer garden for Labor Day weekend, it will be with the hope of greater things. “It’ll offer somewhere else to go, at least,” he said. “There’s no straight-up bar around.”

Equity firm buys second area Internet provider

Mega Broadband Investments, the company that recently acquired Eagle Communications, is in the process of acquiring Vyve Broadband. If finalized the move will bring Marion County’s two main Internet providers under one umbrella.

5K planned for Labor Day weekend

Florence’s Labor Day celebration will feature a five-kilometer run and a one-mile fun run Sept. 2. Both races will start at Florence gymnasium, 400 W. 7th St. The 5K will start at 8 a.m. and the one-mile at 8:45. The first 30 registrants will receive free breakfasts at the Masonic Lodge on Main St. T-shirts are guaranteed for all paid entries received by Aug. 23.

Visit to Santa Fe Trail ruts scheduled for Saturday

A viewing of Santa Fe Trail ruts will be available from 9:30 a.m. to noon Saturday southwest of Durham. Participants will meet 1½ miles south of 290th and Falcon Rd. To get there, turn at the gas station in Durham, go left on Main St., then turn right at the blacktop and go two miles west on 290th to Falcon Rd., and south 1½ miles.

Barber compares job to fine art

When Silk Salon barber Dimitri Dixon cuts hair, he feels like an artist approaching a canvas. “It’s like drawing a straight line,” he said. “You need a steady hand.”

Democrats hear report on fair booth

Marion County Democrats met Aug. 17 in the Scout House in Hillsboro. Chairman Eileen Sieger conducted the meeting. Reports were given on the Marion County Fair booth and the Demofest in Wichita on Aug. 16. Gov. Laura Kelly spoke at Demofest.

Elgin to hold murder mystery dinner

The Historic Elgin Hotel will be have a murder mystery dinner theater 5 p.m. Sept. 14. Game show host Pat Sayback is murdered on the game show “The Spice Isn’t Always Right.” A cast of six will work with the live audience for the interactive dinner theater.

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

Accidents reported

County jail arrests and bookings

Civil division cases

Criminal division cases

Deeds reported

Domestic division cases

Emergency dispatches

Offenses reported

Police incident reports

Surface mold is easy to remove

Many solutions for muddy carpet

A rainy — and muddy — summer has left many homeowners dealing with mud-soiled carpet. Jeannie Wildin at County Seat Home Decorating Center in Marion said frequent use of an efficient vacuum is crucial for carpet care.

Seasonal changes integral to decor

Home decorating is an important part of many holidays, so carrying certain supplies comes down to timing for businesses, said Carlene Vogt, an employee at décor shop Odds ‘n’ Ends. Setting up decorations at home isn’t difficult, but it often comes down to motivation, Vogt said.

A boo for a boo-boo by wind farm boo-hoos

It’s fourth and long. Just a few seconds are left in the game. You’re down by more than two touchdowns. What do you do? If you’re Marion County’s ardent wind farm opponents, you call time out by filing yet another lawsuit.

A parting look at what bugs us

Mr. Dooley,” a rhetorical figment of Chicago humorist Finley Peter Dunne’s imagination, summed up the role of newspapers pretty well in 1902: “comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.” The quote actually was taken out of context. It was intended as part of a scathing criticism of journalism. Still, ironically — perhaps, predictably — it has become a mantra for journalists.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

CALENDAR:

SENIOR CENTER:

WONSEVU:

Peabody-Burns welcomes seven new teachers

Peabody-Burns schools have seven new classroom teachers and one new special education teacher this year. Cierra Goodwin

Novak, Debesis clash over EMS

Thirty minutes of arguing at Monday’s county commission meeting came to a single resolution: more years of fighting. EMS director Ed Debesis directed a statement at commissioner Dianne Novak after his scheduled presentation, starting the half-hour debate centered on her successful push to drastically cut a proposed $500,000 overtime budget.

Taxes go up despite plea

The economic development directors of two historically rival towns joined forces Monday to lobby county commissioners about budget issues that threaten new development. Randy Collett, Marion economic development director, and Anthony Roy, executive director of Hillsboro Development Corporation, questioned raising taxes while holding large cash balances.

High speed chase races through county

Two suspects driving an SUV stolen from Topeka cut a 100-mph path though a portion of Marion County on Saturday before being captured north of Florence. According to Kansas Highway Patrol captain Joe Bott, troopers spotted an SUV on the turnpike east of El Dorado that had been reported stolen from Topeka. Troopers fell in behind to pull it over. The suspects exited the turnpike, then turned north on US-77.

Goose poop: A cause or result of algae blooms?

While tourists and county residents steered clear from Marion Reservoir for 10 weeks this summer due to a blue-green algae bloom, the reservoir had other seasonal guests. And while they did not pay for a campsite, they waded in the water and waddled in the sand, all while leaving their feces behind — lots of it.

Turning trash into treasure

Glenn Carlson

Irene Richmond

Accidents reported

Civil division cases

Criminal division cases

County jail bookings

Deeds recorded

Emergency dispatches

Offenses reported

Police incident reports

Traffic division cases

DELINQUENT TAXES:

We're being taken for a ride

Forget the brouhaha about whether a county commissioner is micromanaging the county’s ambulance system and potentially chasing away EMTs. She might well be, but her motive is pure. To anyone who actually does any research on the topic, it’s clear Marion County is being taken for a ride by state and possibly local ambulance bureaucrats. The soaring cost of operating county ambulances is not just a matter of having fewer volunteers – a problem statewide for years. It’s a problem with how bureaucrats are interpreting laws and regulations to needlessly expand their fiefdoms.

Shame on us

It might be deemed piling on, but the editorial above was written before Monday’s unprecedented county commission meeting. Don’t lose track of just how unprecedented that meeting was. Officials from the county’s two largest cities first accused the county of overspending and overtaxing. Then, as if scripted for some bad reality show, a heated and unprofessional exchange erupted between a key target of their allegations and one of his bosses, the lone dissenter among commissioners.

Eclipsed by Mother Nature

“You’ve got to be home in time to see the eclipse,” my sister said when I announced my travel plans. “This is a really big deal,” she went on, “and I’ve planned this excursion to Lincoln, Nebraska.” Well, I did know there was an eclipse happening, but I didn’t think it was a really big deal. I’d been dwelling all summer in a in a California world where the Adventures of Zelda reigned and there was no television news available, and rarely did I even see a newspaper. I was out of the loop!

Service day leads to treasures, discoveries

Marion Historical Museum was bustling with activity Saturday as about 19 new Tabor College freshman helped museum curator Peggy Blackman with some long-overdue cleaning and sorting. “Oh, my goodness, we dusted blinds that probably hadn’t been dusted in 20 years,” Blackman said. “We cleaned the front windows, we cleaned out the closets behind the curtains.”

Flashback to the past 80 years

Florence Labor Day’s theme is “Flashback to the past 80 years,” in commemoration of the 80th edition of the annual town celebration. A new event is a disc golf tournament at 8 a.m. Sept. 2 at the disc golf course on 8th St. Entry fee is $10 per two-man teams. Contact John Branson at (316) 993-3463.

Senior center menu

WONSEVU:

Bus drivers wish others would think safety

A school bus driver’s job is to get students from home to school and back safely. That’s not easy when other drivers don’t heed rules of the road or the extended stop arm on the bus.

SCHOOL MENUS:

PBHS Warriors present preseason puzzle for Pickens

Peabody-Burns football coach David Pickens wants to put a “competitive” team on the field this fall. Some fans might call that coach speak for, “The cupboard is bare.” They would be wrong.

Volleyball family coming together at PBHS

Players and positions change, but a constant thread coach Sheena Gann has woven into Peabody-Burns volleyball doesn’t depend on spikes or digs or blocks. It focuses on relationships. Gann enters her third year as head coach with the same emphasis she’s had since being an assistant: creating a tight-knit family with players who learn to depend and trust each other is essential to growing a winning program.

Marion volleyball sets for title run

The confidence of two straight league titles, the experience of six seniors, and the determination of the players will lead the Lady Warriors into a new season. Coach Brea Campbell’s volleyball team is coming off a league tournament title and a 28-11 season that ended in a substate loss to Silver Lake, the eventual state champion.

Marion Warriors are ready to rumble

When the Marion Warriors take the field Sept. 1 for their first football game at Moundridge, a senior-laden squad will lead the charge. Coach Grant Thierolf’s projected starters include nine seniors and two juniors on both sides of the ball.

Four MHS Warriors run into cross-country season as a team

Marion High School cross country may not have enough runners to earn team scores, but that doesn’t mean the season won’t be a team effort. “It’s a team sport, even if you don’t have enough runners to create a full team,” coach Dmitry Bucklin said. “The act of running and the amount of stamina and energy it takes to run a race, and even practice, it takes every single person on the team — including the middle schoolers — to help each other out and encourage each other.”

Hillsboro Trojans pointing toward a winning season

As the Hillsboro High School Trojans football team looks to build on a 3-6 record last year, coach Devin Metzinger said the goal this year is not just to improve, but to win. “Our goal is to have a winning season,” he said. “Four-and-five would still be an improvement, but we want to break the hump and have a winning season.”

Youngsters will be vital for Hillsboro volleyball

A mix of new and experienced Trojans make up this season’s Hillsboro High School volleyball team, leading to competition between its own players. “Several girls will be competing for spots on the varsity court,” head coach Sandy Arnold said. “The freshmen are a solid core of athletic girls who work hard and are enthusiastic. The younger girls will be vital to our success as they push us in practice daily.”

Trojans cross-country running toward state

Cross country coach Robert Haude is relying on the strength of his upperclassmen runners to push the team’s beginning runners to run harder and faster. “My initial takeaways are that I have a variety of ability levels,” Haude said. “A strength of the team is that we have a strong group of upperclass runners. They have lots of experience. A weakness for the team is that we have beginning runners, so maintaining a high quality workout each day is a challenge.”

Trojans to scrimmage Friday

For the first time this season, the community is about to get a look at the Hillsboro High School Trojans football team. A team scrimmage will be at 7 p.m. Friday at Joel H. Wiens Stadium at Tabor College. There is no admission charge to enter the stadium or watch the scrimmage.

Goessel seniors gearing up for another run at state

Graduation has a way of taking some teams down a notch the following season, but that’s not the case this year for Goessel volleyball. Coach Crysta Guhr, entering her 13th year of leading the Bluebirds, has all but one player back from last year’s third-place IA Division I state team.

Goessel Bluebirds seeking gridiron leaders

Goessel Bluebirds football coach Garrett Hiebert has experienced players. He has some talented players. What he’s looking for are leaders.

GHS state cross-country title in rear view mirror

Goessel cross-country coach Brian Lightner’s face lights up when he’s asked about last season’s first girls’ state championship for the Bluebirds. He just doesn’t have much to say about it. “Last year was very special, and that was last year,” he said.

Centre Cougars field small but energetic football team

With six returning starters, Centre football team has a strong base despite a small number of players. Steiner returns as head coach after serving as an assistant for four years and head coach for eight years prior to that. He compiled a record of 33-32 as head coach.

Centre girls golf fields four

Four Centre students are playing girls’ golf this fall. Junior Mickey Spohn and sophomore Avery Williams return from last year’s team. Freshmen Cecilia Rziha and Samantha Engler are newcomers. Engler is following in the footsteps of her brother, Nathaniel, a Centre graduate who did well in golf. She said he has taught her fundamentals such as how to swing a golf club and hit the ball.

Returning Centre starters bolstered by freshmen

Five freshmen are among 12 Centre students who are out for volleyball. The team is coached by Karen Nickel, a seven-year assistant volleyball coach who is in her first year as head coach.

Centre has new athletic director

The most challenging aspect of Sheldon Patton’s position as the new athletic and activities director at Centre is the collaboration required in scheduling activities. “Getting everybody on the same page is challenging,” he said. “There are a lot of moving parts, and they have to work together like a fine-tuned machine.”

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