• Exotic visit for Marion County

  Sully, a 6-year-old camel owned by Robert and Ashley Olmstead of Goddard, paid a visit to Salem Home residents and visitors on Friday. Robert, lead zookeeper at Tanganyika Wildlife Park at Goddard, said camels can run about 40 mph. Aleen Ratzlaff / Free Press It’s rare for an exotic animal to make an appearance in Hillsboro, but on Friday, July […]

  

• BECOMING AMERICAN

  Lillian Bookless of Hillsboro is now a proud citizen of both the United States and Canada. Today the United States is celebrating its 242nd birthday, and it’s also the day the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. In addition to the U.S. having a milestone event, 20 people from nine countries also celebrated a milestone by becoming […]

  

• NEIGHBORLY LOVE

  Melanie and Dale Franz and son Darren pull weeds Sunday along sidewalks in Marion’s downtown business district as their contribution to HMBC’s service day. Sometimes it’s hard to show love toward your neighbors without getting your hands a little dirty. Rather than inhabit their clean and comfortable worship center this past Sunday, more than 200 people from the Hillsboro Menno­nite […]

  

• Keep your attention on water-safety rules this summer

  Marion Reservoir provides a “Loaner Life Jacket Station” at its swimming area at Cottonwood Cove. A PFD (personal flotation device) is the primary piece of safety equipment when in, on, or around the water—especially at a lake or pond because you cannot see the bottom. Don Ratzlaff / Free Press It always saddens me to learn of any drowning. The […]

  

• Hillsboro, Marion teams compete at Council Grove meet

  LEFT: Hudson Rogers dives in for his leg of the 8 & Under boys’ freestyle relay. RIGHT: Hillsboro’s Violet Klein finds her stroke during the freestyle relay for 11-12 year-old girls at the Council Grove swim meet on Saturday. Photos by Karrie Rathbone The Hillsboro swim team claimed first place at the three-team meet at Council Grove Saturday with Marion […]

  

• CAR SHOW & TELL

  Patty Decker photoThis year’s car show drew 105 cars and three motorcycles to Memorial Park’s circle drive in Hillsboro. The 20th annual Route 56 Classic Cruisers Car Show on Saturday in Hillsboro’s Memorial Park was considered by organizers as one of the best yet. Kim Abrahams of Hillsboro, who’s been organizing the show since the beginning, said 105 cars and […]

  

• Committed to kids for 47 years

  Courtesy photo“Title 1 are kids that need some help in reading and/or math,” Gloria Winter says. “They’re just not quite up to speed. They haven’t been diagnosed with a disability.” Gloria Winter completed her 47th year of teaching public schools this May, and for all those years, she said her personal schedule has been wrapped around the school calendar. But […]

  

• Water break damages Florence gymnasium

  This photo shows the extent of the buckling of the gymnasium floor following an extended waterline burst that occurred between May 4 and the evening of May 16 The Florence City Council dropped a bombshell at its meeting May 21 with news that the high school gymnasium sustained serious water damage sometime between May 4, and prior to the evening […]

  

• Track Athletes lay it on the line

  Warriors claim four medals Rivals become record-setters at state After competing against each other in shot put and discus during high school, Hillsboro’s Wes Shaw (top photo) and Marion’s Tyler Palic (lower photo) could claim their place in the state record books. Shaw threw the shot put 60 feet, 11.5 inches, bettering his school records and setting a new state […]

  

• Marion claims third place in 3A state baseball

  Cole Srajer collides with Sabetha catcher Brandon Brownlee, scoring on Luke Lanning’s sacrifice fly to make it 9-2 during the fifth inning of Friday’s 3A semifinal game. Janae Rempel The Marion baseball team ended the 2018 season with a win, defeating Riley County, 9-1, in the state consolation game to claim third place in Class 3A Friday. The Warriors finished […]

  

Breaking News

• DEATH: W. Dale Bandy, 81
• DEATH: Pauline Balzer, 95
• DEATH: Rhonda M. Hannon, 43
• DEATH: Doris Joan Kuchar, 80
• DEATH: Merle Bruner, 84

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