Marion County RECORD

HEADLINES

Dual tragedies rock rescuers
A dozen county first responders gathered Monday to discuss, and debrief from, two weekend wrecks that took the lives of four people. Working the scene of such incidents can cause lingering emotional and psychological trauma for emergency responders.
Teen found dead hours after ATV crash
A 16-year-old Hillsboro boy who disappeared from friends while driving an all terrain vehicle was found dead three hours later east of the south end of Marion County Lake’s dam. The parents of Seth Michael Mader had reported their son missing only two minutes earlier, at 11:23 p.m. Saturday. They found him lying face down in a pool of blood, tangled in a pile of rocks in a ravine, according to monitored transmissions.
Crash leaves 3 dead, 1 seriously hurt
A wreck Friday afternoon at US-56 and K-256 northwest of Marion left three dead and two injured — one of them seriously. Wanda L. Richmond, 85, Marion, died when a westbound 2016 Ford Taurus in which she a passenger broadsided a 2003 Dodge Grand Caravan that had pulled in front of the Taurus on US-56 from a stop sign on K256.
Cop, drug dog go to county
A Marion drug dog that cost $7,600 in 2019, $2,500 for a kennel in a police car, $2,357.67 for emergency surgery after she ate an extension cord in 2021, and about $7,000 a year to house, feed, and recertify, is now in the possession of the sheriff’s office because officer Aaron Slater, the dog’s handler, changed jobs. For now, the dog remains the property of the city of Marion. The sheriff’s office is expected to purchase the dog, named Blue, but a price has not been negotiated.
Marion seeks project so it can borrow more
Marion is looking for a project, or projects, on which it can spend an additional $400,000 it can borrow from Kansas Power Pool. The money is left over from bonds sold last year by the power pool to pay for with electrical service work.
Steel shortage taking a toll on farmers, dealerships
A steel shortage resulting from supply chain issues and high demand is having impact on more than simply construction. It’s affecting life on the farm. Farmers are finding it harder to replace implements or get needed repairs.

OTHER NEWS

Ag stress focus of new program
Wildfires. Drought. Rising grain prices. High fuel costs. Any one of those — let alone all of them combined — can decimate a farm or ranch and leave it’s stewards despondent.
Historic building to house auto repair shop
A new auto repair shop is expected to open soon after the new year in a historic Peabody building. Peabody native Colton Glenn is buying a 1919 building at 122 W. 2nd St. The building has a colorful past, including having once been a World War II prisoner-of-war camp.
Marion approve survey for grants
Marion city council members voted to spend up to $5,000 for Ranson Citycode Financial, a firm it uses to write and administer community development block grants, to survey residents to see whether the city still qualifies for those grants. In a letter to the council, Ranson’s Rose Mary Saunders proposed that she prepare a door-to-door survey for all water customers including those in Marion County Improvement District No. 2 at the county lake. The survey would ask about their incomes.
Planners discuss signage
Ten members of the public, half of them downtown business owners, spoke Tuesday with Marion city planners about downtown signs. Discussion of downtown signs began in August after Chelsea Mackey opened Dawn’s Day Spa at 331 E. Main St. and soon afterward had a perpendicular sign mounted over the sidewalk.
Dilapidate homes face fix-or-raze hearing
Owners of three dilapidated properties in Marion will have to make repairs or raze the buildings. City council members voted Monday to set Feb. 6 hearings on these properties:
Christmas concert planned
McPherson Community Brass Choir will present a Christmas concert at 7 p.m. Sunday at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, just north of Goessel on K-15. Joining the 17-piece ensemble will be the Elbiata Singers, a select singing group from Goessel High School, which will provide a musical interlude.
Hillsboro, Peabody plan holiday events this weekend
Hillsboro’s annual Down Home Christmas and Peabody’s annual Come Home for Christmas will be Saturday. Hillsboro’s event will feature food and drinks from downtown merchants and a chili lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce.
Blood drive planned
A blood drive is planned for 1 to 6 p.m. Dec. 12 in fellowship hall at Goessel Church, 109 S. Church St., Goessel. Donors are being asked to bring a photo ID and to drink plenty of water and eat before their appointments, which can be arranged by calling (800) 733-2767.

DEATHS

Kimly Carson
Services for Kimly Carson, 65, who died Nov. 14 at Peabody Health and Rehab in Peabody, will be 2 p.m. Thursday at the First Baptist Church of Peabody. Relatives will receive friends 5 70 8 tonight at Broadway Colonial Funeral Home, Newton.
Vernon Funk
Services for Vernon Funk, 69, Lehigh, who died last Thursday at McPherson Hospital, will be 11 a.m. this Thursday at Trinity Mennonite Church, Hillsboro. Pastor Norma Duerksen will officiate. Relatives will receive friends from 10 a.m. until the service at the church. Burial will be at Haven of Rest Cemetery, rural Hillsboro.
Ronald Herbel
Services for Ronald Herbel, 81, Hillsboro, who died Nov. 13 at Hillsboro Community Hospital, will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Zion Lutheran Church. Pastor John Werner will officiate. Relatives will receive friends 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the church.
Seth Mader
Services for Seth Michael Mader, 16, Hillsboro, who died Saturday at Marion County Lake, will be 2 p.m. Friday at the east side of the lake dam. Public viewing will be 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Jost Funeral Home, Hillsboro.
John Ryding
Services for retired Zion Lutheran Church pastor John A. Ryding, 71, who died Nov. 22 at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, will be 2:30 p.m. Saturday at the church. Pastor John Werner will officiate. An additional service is planned for 10:30 a.m. Dec. 10 at Christ Lutheran Church in O’Neill, Nebraska. Pastor John Nelson will officiate at that service.
Melvin Watkins
Services will be scheduled later at Fort Scott National Cemetery and in the Santa Fe Room of Marion City Library for Melvin Magellan Watkins, 83, who died Nov. 23 at his home in Pilsen. Born Nov. 12, 1939, in Minneapolis, Kansas, to Raymond and Gladys (Lott) Watkins, he married Joan Kaye Pierce on March 28, 1958, in Wichita.
IN MEMORIAM:
Chris Brewer
IN MEMORIAM:
Ruth Wall

DOCKET

OPINION

Avoiding a lump of debt in your stocking
’Tis the season to make cash registers ring. While the silver bells of Christmas sales may not give angels their wings, they’re still godsends in an economy as tattered as ripped-up wrapping paper on Christmas morning. It’s the thought that counts, of course. That’s why I personally balk at stuffing checks and crisp currency into envelopes of over-priced cards or picking items off gift registries as if Christmas were a casual acquaintance’s wedding to which you obligatorily were invited.
Shedding light on darkness
A quarterback dares to throw what he hopes will be a touchdown bomb only to see it turn into an interception. A basketball player goes for a game-changing steal, but the opponent he’s guarding transforms it into a game-winning layup.
ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:
Surviving get-togethers

PEOPLE

A little lost tree is found
When Marsha Pagenkopf was a little girl, her mother and father bought a tinsel tree that came complete with a color wheel. “That tree was magic to an 8-year-old,” she said.
Rodeo champ puts Ramona on the map
The tiny community of Ramona has produced a steer wrestler who will be competing for the fourth time Thursday through Dec. 10 in the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. “Tanner Brunner of Ramona, Kansas,” will be blared over loudspeakers for the world to hear.
Senior centers menus
MEMORIES:
15, 30, 45, 60, 75, 105, 135 years ago

WINTER SPORTS PREVIEW

Marion boys deep with 17 players
Donald Raymer is back for his third year as head coach for Marions boys basketball with assistant coach Dawson Raymer. Eleven players are returning from last year, and 10 of them have varsity experience.
Girls hope play makes up for height
Marion’s girls won’t be the tallest group on the court but hopes to be the most aggressive. “This season, our goal is to approach each day with a great attitude, great effort, to be coachable, and champions in everything that we do,” coach Jason Hett said.
Wrestling team twice the size
With 11 boys out for wrestling this year, Marion will have twice as big team as it had last year. Every member of the team has wrestled at some point in the last two years making the transition to a new season much easier.
Marion, Centre dive into swimming
Top-ranked Trojans return just 1 starter
Ranked No 1 in the state in Class 2A, Hillsboro’s boys basketball team returns only one starter but retains veteran coach. Darrel Knoll enters his 35th year at the school this season with an overall record of 587-211.
Girls, also ranked, get new coach
Ranked No. 9 in the state in Class 2A, Hillsboro’s girls’ basketball team will open the season with a new coach. Micah Ratzlaff will debut as coach for a team that finished 13-9 last year.
Hillsboro cooperates on wrestling team
Hillsboro will be joined by Canton-Galva in fielding a joint wrestling team this year. Hillsboro has five returning starters and one Canton-Galva starter: Emery Dalke, Aidan Simmons, Anthony Fickles, Isaiah Patton, David Schafer, and Lane Rogers.
2 letter winners back at Goessel
Letter winners Caleb Burkholder and Noah Schrag return this year for Goessel’s boys basketball team along with coach Curtis Guhr, entering his 12th season. “We will be looking to younger guys to step up this season after losing eight seniors to graduation and losing other letter winners to injury,” Guhr said.
Goessel girls small but quick
Ryan Hoopes enters his 16th coaching Goessel girls basketball as the team prepares for its season opener Friday. Goessel finished 12-9 last year and 4-4 in the Wheat State League.
Centre boys look to rebuild
Centre heads into this season with only one returning senior starter, Matthew Basore. The Cougars’ are looking to rebuild after graduating five seniors from last year’s team. Overall, seven players are returning along with seven newcomers. Returning players are Daniel Rziha, Robert Spohn, Karson Kroupa, Gentri Holub, Santiago Knepp, and Nicholas Krch.
Coach returns to girls team
Centre’s girls basketball coach, Alan Stahlecker, returns this year after taking last season off, but he’s hardly a new face. He’s been coaching at Centre for 17 years, 12 of which as head coach. “Coming off of a 2-17 record last season but returning a handful of players that played significant minutes, we will seek to improve on the record while also taking a step forward in the ability to compete with the majority of teams on our schedule,” Stahlecker said.
Peabody-Burns did not respond
After several attempts via email, text, and direct phone calls to coaches, the athletic director, the principal, and the superintendent, Peabody-Burns failed to provide information on its winter sports teams and season.

MORE…

HOVER OVER IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT

With temperatures approaching 50 degrees, Mother Nature needs a little help from Historic Elgin Hotel owner Tammy Ensey, right, to create a bit of snow for Saturday's Holly Jolly Christmas celebration in Marion. Clusters of captivated kids seemed unaware they also were lathering up for bath time by playing in soap bubbles transformed by an electronic gun into what looked and played like snowflakes.

Former mayors Peggy Blackman (left) and Martin Tice join city council member Ruth Herbel (right) in posting a sign Saturday across from Central Park urging residents to vote "no" on a charter ordinance that would allow Marion to exceed statutory debt limits and take away citizens' rights to vote on or be notified of capital improvement borrowing.

Coach Jason Hett has his squad working on closing out and being strong with pivots.

Caleb Darrow successfully applying what he learned from coach McMichael.

Marion County RECORD

A dozen county first responders gathered Monday to discuss, and debrief from, two weekend wrecks that took the lives of four people. Working the scene of such incidents can cause lingering emotional and psychological trauma for emergency responders.

Marion is looking for a project, or projects, on which it can spend an additional $400,000 it can borrow from Kansas Power Pool. The money is left over from bonds sold last year by the power pool to pay for with electrical service work.

A steel shortage resulting from supply chain issues and high demand is having impact on more than simply construction. It’s affecting life on the farm. Farmers are finding it harder to replace implements or get needed repairs.

Wildfires. Drought. Rising grain prices. High fuel costs. Any one of those — let alone all of them combined — can decimate a farm or ranch and leave it’s stewards despondent.

A new auto repair shop is expected to open soon after the new year in a historic Peabody building. Peabody native Colton Glenn is buying a 1919 building at 122 W. 2nd St. The building has a colorful past, including having once been a World War II prisoner-of-war camp.

Owners of three dilapidated properties in Marion will have to make repairs or raze the buildings. City council members voted Monday to set Feb. 6 hearings on these properties:

McPherson Community Brass Choir will present a Christmas concert at 7 p.m. Sunday at Alexanderwohl Mennonite Church, just north of Goessel on K-15. Joining the 17-piece ensemble will be the Elbiata Singers, a select singing group from Goessel High School, which will provide a musical interlude.

Hillsboro’s annual Down Home Christmas and Peabody’s annual Come Home for Christmas will be Saturday. Hillsboro’s event will feature food and drinks from downtown merchants and a chili lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce.

A blood drive is planned for 1 to 6 p.m. Dec. 12 in fellowship hall at Goessel Church, 109 S. Church St., Goessel. Donors are being asked to bring a photo ID and to drink plenty of water and eat before their appointments, which can be arranged by calling (800) 733-2767.

Services for Kimly Carson, 65, who died Nov. 14 at Peabody Health and Rehab in Peabody, will be 2 p.m. Thursday at the First Baptist Church of Peabody. Relatives will receive friends 5 70 8 tonight at Broadway Colonial Funeral Home, Newton.

Services for Ronald Herbel, 81, Hillsboro, who died Nov. 13 at Hillsboro Community Hospital, will be 10 a.m. Saturday at Zion Lutheran Church. Pastor John Werner will officiate. Relatives will receive friends 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the church.

Services for Seth Michael Mader, 16, Hillsboro, who died Saturday at Marion County Lake, will be 2 p.m. Friday at the east side of the lake dam. Public viewing will be 2 to 8 p.m. Thursday at Jost Funeral Home, Hillsboro.

IN MEMORIAM:

IN MEMORIAM:

A quarterback dares to throw what he hopes will be a touchdown bomb only to see it turn into an interception. A basketball player goes for a game-changing steal, but the opponent he’s guarding transforms it into a game-winning layup.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

When Marsha Pagenkopf was a little girl, her mother and father bought a tinsel tree that came complete with a color wheel. “That tree was magic to an 8-year-old,” she said.

The tiny community of Ramona has produced a steer wrestler who will be competing for the fourth time Thursday through Dec. 10 in the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas. “Tanner Brunner of Ramona, Kansas,” will be blared over loudspeakers for the world to hear.

MEMORIES:

Donald Raymer is back for his third year as head coach for Marions boys basketball with assistant coach Dawson Raymer. Eleven players are returning from last year, and 10 of them have varsity experience.

Marion’s girls won’t be the tallest group on the court but hopes to be the most aggressive. “This season, our goal is to approach each day with a great attitude, great effort, to be coachable, and champions in everything that we do,” coach Jason Hett said.

With 11 boys out for wrestling this year, Marion will have twice as big team as it had last year. Every member of the team has wrestled at some point in the last two years making the transition to a new season much easier.

Ranked No 1 in the state in Class 2A, Hillsboro’s boys basketball team returns only one starter but retains veteran coach. Darrel Knoll enters his 35th year at the school this season with an overall record of 587-211.

Ranked No. 9 in the state in Class 2A, Hillsboro’s girls’ basketball team will open the season with a new coach. Micah Ratzlaff will debut as coach for a team that finished 13-9 last year.

Hillsboro will be joined by Canton-Galva in fielding a joint wrestling team this year. Hillsboro has five returning starters and one Canton-Galva starter: Emery Dalke, Aidan Simmons, Anthony Fickles, Isaiah Patton, David Schafer, and Lane Rogers.

Ryan Hoopes enters his 16th coaching Goessel girls basketball as the team prepares for its season opener Friday. Goessel finished 12-9 last year and 4-4 in the Wheat State League.

After several attempts via email, text, and direct phone calls to coaches, the athletic director, the principal, and the superintendent, Peabody-Burns failed to provide information on its winter sports teams and season.