Cities planning Christmas events

Written by Patty Decker Tuesday, 27 November 2012 14:45

The Christmas season is here and Marion County communities are offering a variety of festive opportunities for everyone.

The following is a list of December events in area towns.

Hillsboro

This weekend features “A Down Home Christmas in Hillsboro” from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 1.

Starting at 10 a.m. and staying until 2 p.m. Santa Claus will be at Kessler Kreations and Jan’s Floral on Main Street.

Other activities planned for the day include a bake sale, children’s events, games and face painting.

The senior center will provide a soup lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. with singing entertainment. Plus carriage rides are available from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. to tour the decorative lights of Hillsboro.

Some gift-giving ideas might...

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Chase County rider named ‘Top Hand’ at World

Written by Frank J. Buchman Tuesday, 20 November 2012 16:12

Wes Bailey, Cottonwood Falls, shows his winning form in the ranch bronc riding at the World Championship Ranch Rodeo in Amarillo, Texas, where he was honored at “Top Hand” out of more than 96 ranch cowboys competing as members of 24 teams from eight states. He is a member of the Arndt-Bailey Ranches team from Lyon and Chase counties, with Ryan Arndt, Glen Collinge and Josh Lilley also on the team. The best ranch cowboy in the country hails from right in the Flint Hills of Kansas.

Proof came when Wes Bailey of Cottonwood Falls was honored as “Top Hand” following the World Championship Ranch Rodeo last weekend at Amarillo, Texas.

Bailey was selected for the high honor out of more than 96 cowboys representing 24 teams from Colorado, Florida, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Okla­homa, Texas and Wyoming.

As pleased as he was with the title, Bailey was quick to credit the other members of his second-place overall Arndt-Bailey Ranches team from Lyon and Chase counties.

“I was shocked to be named for the title, but anyone of my team members was just as qualified,” Bailey said. “They are all top hands, and we work well as a...

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Marion council OKs PRIDE grant initiative for downtown

Written by Patty Decker Tuesday, 20 November 2012 16:00

Darin Neufeld, an engineer with EBH & Associates, uses a bird’s-eye photo of downtown Marion to point out city improvements being promoted through the local PRIDE committee. The Marion City Council approved having the PRIDE committee go forward on its enhancement grant application for the downtown area with the city agreeing to commit an estimated $239,000.

Pam Bowers, PRIDE committee member, said she has been working with Darin Neufeld, a supportive business owner and engineer with EBH & Associ­ates, on the grant proposal.

Based on a community survey given a couple of years ago, she said, the committee received responses about the park, recreation areas and downtown

“Improvement of the downtown was high on the list,” she said. “We then had two public meetings and discussed what they wanted done and then talked with downtown merchants.”

Neufeld said Bowers asked him to look at an original...

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Crowd urges governor to expand Medicaid eligibility

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 13 November 2012 15:39

About 100 people rallied outside the Kansas Statehouse Friday, urging state officials to expand Medicaid eligibility as provided for in the federal health reform law.

A Lawrence pastor cast the expansion as a Christian imperative during a call-and-response exercise with the crowd.

“If Jesus was up in the Capitol would he make a choice to keep 130,000 people without care?” said the Rev. Joshua Longbottom, associate pastor at Plymouth Congregational Church in Lawrence.

“No,” the crowd shouted.

“If Jesus was up in the Capitol, would he tell families that they just need to get better jobs so that they could afford to take care of themselves?” Longbottom asked.

Again, the answer was “no.”

“Did Jesus say, ‘I’m sorry...

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