Council OKs deal for two Hillsboro Heights lots

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 13 November 2012 15:27

The Hillsboro City Council approved the sale of one lot in Hillsboro Heights and an option to buy an adjoining lot during its Nov. 6 meeting.

The decisions came to a vote following a discussion about appropriate procedures for working with inquiring buyers.

Craig Dodd, who currently operates a gunshop out of a small building near Jost Fabri­ca­tion in Hillsboro Heights, submitted a proposal regarding two full lots across the street from his present location, which is along Western Heights Street.

Under terms of the contract, Dodd would purchase Lot, Block 3 for $7,000. The price includes the cost of utility hookups that were installed by the city five years ago to accommodate Prairie View’s move to Hillsboro.

Dodd deposited...

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County voter turnout strong despite few contested races

Written by Patty Decker Tuesday, 13 November 2012 15:25

Dan Holub (left) and Gary Lewis, opposing candidates for the District 2 Marion County Commission seat, share a friendly handshake during vote tabulation Tuesday evening, Nov. 6, at the courthouse in Marion. Holub won re-election for a third term by receiving just over 57 percent of the vote. Their race was one of the few contested races on the 2012 ballot. Even so, about 73 percent of the county’s registered voters turned out. The percentage of Marion County voters casting ballots at this year’s presidential election didn’t quite beat the percentage four years ago, but officials said the turnout was good.

Carol Maggard, county clerk and election officer, said that of the 7,713 registered voters, 5,458 ballots were counted for a 73 percent overall turnout.

“The only higher percentage in recent years was 2008 with 76 percent of voters going to the polls,” she said.

A presidential election always attracts a higher turnout, she said.

In the race for Commission District 2, incumbent Dan Holub retained his seat for a third four-year term with 1,048 votes against independent candidate Gary Lewis with 781.

 

Goals in third term

Holub wanted to...

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Cross-country cyclist raising funds and profile for diabetics

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 13 November 2012 15:24

Greg Auerbach prepares to leave Thursday morning for the next leg of his cross-country journey across the U.S. to raise funds for diabetes research. His route for the day was U.S. Highway 56, behind him, with a target destination of Great Bend. A Type 1 diabetic himself, Auerbach is traveling solo from his hometown of Philadelphia to Los Angeles. By his calculations, Hillsboro was the halfpoint of his 1,500-plus mile journey. Greg Auerbach figured when he pedaled into Hillsboro last week Wednesday with 1,530 miles under his belt that he was halfway to his immediate goal of bicycling from Philadelphia to Los Angeles.

His longterm goal—to help end diabetes—will take a while longer. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 4 years old, Auerbach, now 23, knows firsthand the journey to a cure may be a ways off. But the journey to stay healthy is achievable each day.

“Diabetes has been part of my life and I’ve taken great control of it,” Auerbach said. “If you don’t, it’s a thing that can take control of you.”

He was fortunate to get an early start on that journey. Auerbach’s parents, both doctors, decided to put their son on an insulin...

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Peabody vet led battle to recognize atomic veterans

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 06 November 2012 15:14

Gary Thornton holds the poster identifying the “Atomic Veterans Memorial Highway” that was dedicated in 2009 near his home in Leon. Thornton, who still calls Peabody his hometown, was an unsuspecting guinea pig for the government’s secret nuclear tests in the early 1960s. He became a leading proponent in Kansas for formal recognition of the service atomic veterans rendered. When Gary Thornton was called to active duty in the U.S. Naval Reserve in September 1961, only months after his graduation from Peabody High School, he knew he would see the world and that he might find himself in harm’s way someday.

Thornton was right on both counts, but what he didn’t know was that his most serious encounter with harm would come from radiation as a guinea pig with the U.S government’s secret nuclear weapons testing program in the South Pacific.

Thornton’s heroism didn’t stop when he left the Navy. Between 2002 and 2010, Thornton, now a resident of Leon, joined the battle to secure government recognition and benefits for the thousands of “atomic veterans” like him in Kansas and beyond.

Change of...

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