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Parkside residents donate gallons of socks to Main Street Ministries

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Written by Patty Decker Tuesday, 15 May 2012 14:02

Representatives from Parkside Homes in Hillsboro presented 71⁄2 gallons of socks to Main Street Ministries Thursday. In the front row: (from left) Mildred Steinle, Frances Kreutziger and Alyce Loewen of Parkside, and Kimberly Swaney, Main Street Ministries office manager and social worker. Standing: (from left) Rufus Lohrenz, Vida Bartel, director of life enrichment at Parkside, LaVonne Carrington, interim director at Main Street Ministries, and Art Jantz, Parkside. Residents at Parkside Homes, families, friends and staff members observed “Lost Sock Day” last week by donating several gallons of socks to Main Street Ministries in Hillsboro.

Lavonne Carrington, MSM interim director, said the socks were a welcomed gift.

“A lot of kids will have socks without holes in them,” she said. “A lot of kids even wore shoes with no socks and they won’t have to do that anymore.”

Vida Bartel, director of life enrichment at Parkside, said the...

Thee Bookstore to host book-signing for Wichita author

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Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 15 May 2012 13:37

Cancer survivor Michele Longabaugh of Wichita will be featured at a book-signing event Thursday, May 24, at Thee Bookstore, 117 N. Main St., Hillsboro.

She’ll be selling and signing her new book, “If You’re Not Laughing, You’re Dying,” based on the extensive blogs she wrote while battling Stage 4 anal cancer. It’s a rare form of cancer that claimed the life of Farah Fawcett last year.

More than peddling books, Longabaugh hopes to communicate the message of the book’s subtitle...

Officials say weather will determine extent of algae blooms

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Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 15 May 2012 13:28

Blue green algae was plainly visible last summer in the pump strainers at the intake station at Marion Reservoir used by the cities of Hillsboro and Marion as their source for raw water. State officials from several agencies said at a media briefing last week in Topeka that it’s hard to predict what kind of blue-green algae season lies ahead for public lakes in Kansas this summer, including the two lakes in Marion County.

The officials characterized last year’s outbreaks of toxic blooms as likely worse than they’ve ever been.

Between March 18 and Oct. 31, KDHE received 42 requests for testing at different lakes, according to Tom Langer, director of KDHE’s Bureau...

Postal-closing reprieve prompts mixed feelings

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Written by Patty Decker Tuesday, 15 May 2012 13:26

Lehigh’s post office was one of six post in Marion County that had been targeted for closure before last week’s announcement. The self-imposed moratorium set to end Tuesday that could have seen the closure or consolidation of 134 U.S. Postal Service offices in Kansas ended when a plan to keep them open was put into motion last week.

According to information from Postmaster General and Chief Executive Officer Patrick R. Donahoe, a decision was reached to cancel plans to close almost 4,000 offices nationwide because of community and congressional pressure.

“This news is a win for communities across Kansas,”...

First oil rig rises near lake; driller says more to come

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Written by Jerry Engler Tuesday, 15 May 2012 13:25

This oil rig was erected last week near the Strassburg Baptist Church along Pawnee Road north of Marion Reservoir’s Cottonwood Point. Leo Kremeier of Herington, owner of Kremeier Oil & Gas, is drilling the well on land owned by M.E. Meisinger. The new oil rig going up just north of Strassburg Baptist Church near Marion Reservoir seems to symbolize what’s coming to Marion County.

Leo Kremeier of Herington, owner of Kremeier Oil & Gas, is drilling the well on land owned by M.E. Meisinger for Ventex Operating Corp. of Dallas, Texas. He said the well is conventional rather than the new horizontal “fracking” variety that goes through rock at great depths to bring up oil.

But the horizontal drilling will begin here in about...