BREAKING NEWS
UPDATED AFTER PRINT DEADLINE
Last week’s blue-green algae watch for Marion County Lake was increased to a warning Thursday after tests indicated water might not be safe for humans, pets, or livestock to drink.
Although the lake remains open, Kansas Department of Health and Environment is urging visitors to avoid contact with lake water, especially in areas where algae blooms are present.
Last Wednesday, most low-lying areas in Marion County were overflowing with heavy rains that fell the night before and two days earlier.
Acting road and bridge superintendent Tom Holub said flooded roads caused four vehicles to become stranded by 4 p.m. Wednesday.
County commissioner opposed to wind farm has turbine on her property
By PHYLLIS ZORN
Staff writer
Although a proposal to build a wind farm in the southern portion of the county has drawn strong opposition since August, not everyone stands against its construction.
A frequent contention among opponents of a proposed wind farm in the southern portion of the county is that wind turbines are noisy.
The website consumer.healthday.com reports on a 2018 Canadian government study of wind turbine noise.
Several residents said Monday at Peabody’s city council meeting they had not received mail since May 8 and had received letters informing them they would not receive mail unless they put up boxes along the street.
“It’s not my dog,” Rodger Charles said. “That’s the problem; it’s four blocks away.”
Peabody’s volunteer economic development group in has yet to have its first meeting, but community support is already budding.
“I’ve talked with several business owners about it,” Peabody councilman Jay Gfeller said. “It hasn’t been all of them because I haven’t run into everyone on the street.”
Peabody-Burns co-valedictorian Taylor Wallace excelled all four years of high school, but she said the importance of taking her education seriously didn’t sink in until junior year.
“Freshman and sophomore years we were trying to do as much as we could,” she said. “Junior year was when we realized this mattered, grades mattered.”
Water levels at Marion Reservoir came within 1¾ feet of the July 1993 water line record of 1,358.87.
The water line crossed 1,357.1 feet Friday afternoon, before cresting at 1,357.17 feet Sunday afternoon, the third highest in history.
It’s too soon to know whether Marion County, one of 20 counties included in a state emergency disaster declaration because of severe storms and flooding, will qualify for a federal disaster declaration.
A federal disaster declaration would provide partial funding to rebuild roads, bridges, and infrastructure.
Marion County Seniors will hold its monthly meeting 10 a.m. Friday at the Marion Senior Center. Reservations are due to Janet Bryant at (620) 382-2942 by Wednesday, and anyone in need of transportation should contact the Department of Aging at (620) 382-3580 by Thursday.
This marks the third year the Marion County Democrats organization has awarded scholarships to two high school seniors in the county.
All graduating seniors from the five high schools are invited to apply. Applicants write essays on two of the tenets from the platform of the Kansas Democratic Party.
Marion County Planning Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals will meet at 7 p.m. May 29 at the Planning and Zoning office, 201 S. 3rd St. in Marion to consider an application filed by Matthew Meyerhoff requesting a special yard exception in the Marion Lake Lot residential district at 60 Lakeshore Drive.
The commission will also meet at 7 p.m. June 3 in Marion Community Center Ballroom, 203 N. 3rd St. to consider an application for a Wind Energy Conversion System Conditional Use Permit filed by Expedition Wind.
Peabody cemetery’s board meeting will be 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Peabody City Building’s conference room. Discussion topics will include payroll/payables, burials, and other suggestions.
Pam Byer works with Circles of Marion County to fight poverty by fostering leaders within its own group.
One such leader is Kendra Henry, head cook at Hillsboro Senior Center, who has been paired with Byer for four years.
County Democrats will meet 10 a.m. Saturday at the Florence Masonic Lodge. All Marion County Democrats are invited to attend.
Sylvia Abrahams
Sylvia Abrahams, 90, died May 7 at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice in Wichita.The funeral service will be 2 p.m. Friday at First Mennonite Church in Hillsboro.
Carol Elaine Wiebe, 83, died May 7 at Parkside Homes in Hillsboro. Services were Saturday at Hillsboro Mennonite Brethren Church.
She was born Feb. 7, 1936, in Russell to Harold and Evelyn Barb. She married Harold J. Wiebe March 29, 1957, in Ellsworth.
IN MEMORIAM:
Stan Freeland
IN MEMORIAM:
Karen Kline
IN MEMORIAM:
Opal Eileen Myers (Chambers)
The idea of shunning red meat was intolerable to Don Vinduska, 78, who had been raised a country boy on good home cooking.
A tick bite made his lifestyle change a matter of life and death.
The Lone Star tick takes its name from the white spot on the adult female’s back.
The tick has spread from the eastern and southern portions of the United States into eastern Kansas. It continues to spread westward across the state.
Hilltop Manor residents will soon be harvesting their own fresh produce from two 4’ by 8’ raised garden beds in an effort to provide them with access to healthier food.
The creation of the garden was a cooperative effort of the Extension Office, which applied for a $500 grant; Kansas Nutrition Council, which provided the mini-grant; and the United Methodist Men from Eastmoor UMC in Marion, who built the raised beds.
Sleep is critical to health, so being able to stay in county for sleep studies is important, Hillsboro physician Michael Reeh said.
Thanks to St. Luke Hospital’s work with Rural Sleep Solutions, he says he rarely sends patients to Salina or Wichita for sleep studies.
Two Peabody-Burns FFA members will receive their State FFA Degrees at the end of May. This degree requires having an exceptional supervised agricultural experience program, as well as completing an application for review.
Taylor Wallace is the daughter of Greg and Ashley Ballew and Heath Wallace. She has served as chapter vice president for two years and chapter president this year.
The 123rd annual Florence Memorial High School Alumni Banquet will be 1 p.m. May 25, following a business meeting at noon in the Florence Gymnasium.
The event is open to alumni of Florence and Marion/Florence schools, their guests, and teachers.
Jackie Volbrecht shared her dream that all children in Marion County would have the supplies they need to succeed in their education.
Her “Back to School with Backpacks” effort launched last year.
Peabody-Burns senior Breanna Lett recently signed a letter of intent to cheer for Pratt Community College next year.
Breanna is a four-time letter winner in cheerleading. She has also competed in volleyball, basketball, and softball.