Hillsboro Main Street gets holiday look

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 16 November 2010 17:09

With co-worker Jason Plett assisting below, Todd Helmer of the city of Hillsboro electric department, prepares to put up the first of more than 50 holiday wreaths and garland on Main Street and Grand Avenue lamp poles Monday. In addition to Helmer, Randy Jantz and Mike Duerksen were also involved with the decorations. Last week, city crews replaced and strung festive lights across business rooftops. According to city officials, the lights will be lit Friday, Nov. 26.

Paine receives state management award

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 16 November 2010 16:59

Paine: Excel­lence in public management. Hillsboro City Administrator Larry Paine received a prestigious award Thursday from the Kansas City/County Manage­ment Associa­tion during the organization’s annual meeting in Garden City.

Paine was named the 2010 winner of the Buford M. Watson Jr. Award for Excellence in Public Manage­ment.

Watson was a former city manager in Lawrence and at one time was president of the Inter­national City/County Manage­ment Association.

Paine said he was surprised when his name was announced.

“It was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding,’” he said. “A lot of the previous managers have come from larger communities that have assistant managers, and the assistant managers are usually the ones who are writing the nominations.

“In...

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Flu shots well below norm for the season

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 16 November 2010 16:57

“It seems like if there’s not a shortage or a special flu coming through—people just kind of let it pass by.” The diagnosis of the first flu cases in Kansas last week should serve as a reminder that it’s high time to get vaccinated for the 2010-11 flu season.

At least, that’s what Diedre Serene, Marion County public health nurse, is hoping.

To this point, the number of flu shots administered through the department is well below the number from 2009—or even a normal year, for that matter.

That trend holds true beyond her department.

“I’ve been talking to the physicians’ offices, and they haven’t given the vaccinations that they have in the past,” Serene said.

 

Different factors

The current situation is significantly different from a year ago, when several factors combined to create the perfect storm for flu-shot...

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Story of change and direction

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 16 November 2010 16:55

For Mike Furches, time spent in Hillsboro and at Tabor College was life changing, a story he chronicles as a novel in, “The Keystone Kid.” Furches will autograph copies of the book at Thee Bookstore from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. Before coming to Hillsboro and Tabor College in 1978, Mike Furches had experienced the dark side of life—gangs, drugs, poverty, home­less­ness, the occult and abuse.

Since graduating from Tabor in 1985, his experiences have ranged from working with some of the top bands in America, to being an authority on mental illnesses rehabilitation.

He became a pastor some 15 years ago and currently leads Mosaic Church, an inner-city congregation in Wichita with an extensive outreach ministry to the arts community and the poor, especially the homeless.

Furches has been read by millions of people via his regular online contributions to The Virtual Pew, a ministry recognized as one of the first online churches, as well as Hollywood Jesus and...

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