Marion County RECORD

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

North Freeborn gets asphalt repairs

Marion public works employees are busy this week removing pavement from the 200 block of N. Freeborn St. City administrator Roger Holter said the pavement was damaged by rains.

Burn regulation to be discussed Friday

Tougher burn regulations proposed by six county fire chiefs will be the topic of a 6 p.m. Friday meeting at Marion County Lake Hall. County fire chiefs are proposing several changes to the county’s burn resolution in order to make burning safer for both landowners and firefighters.

Glenn Carlson

Irene Richmond

Accidents reported

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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.

ANOTHER DAY IN THE COUNTRY:

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.

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MEMORIES:

Bus drivers wish others would think about 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.

Teams practice in milder August heat

About a dozen Marion High School football players stripped off their shoulder pads and helmets and jumped in a water-filled stock tank after Thursday’s practice. The temperature was in the mid to low 80s — several degrees cooler than the yearly August average high in the low 90s, but the sun still blazed.

Centre eclipse trippers nearly miss out

Early morning rain and clouds Monday in Marion County followed a group of Centre junior high and high school students and teachers as they traveled to Hiawatha High School in northeast Kansas to view the eclipse. It started to sprinkle, and clouds obscured the moment of totality. However, the clouds broke enough that viewers were able to see the receding stages. A moment of awe came when students put on their special glasses and saw the moon take a shadow bite out of the sun.

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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.

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 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.”

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.”

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 volleyball

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.

Goessel 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.

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.

Gospel group to sing Tuesday at Marion Christian Church

The Perrys, a Southern Gospel quartet, will perform at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Marion Christian Church. The group formed in 1970, and while members have changed over the years, alto Libbi Perry Stuffle has been a constant. The Perrys have recorded 19 albums and have been recognized with numerous nominations and awards from the Gospel music community.

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