Indicators point to positive position for Hillsboro economy, official says

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 12 February 2013 11:39

Despite a weak national economy and the ongoing fiscal challenges facing small rural com­munities, Hills­boro is holding its own—and maybe gaining.

That was the assessment of Clint Seibel, the city’s economic development director, when he updated the city council on five key indicators of the town’s economic health during the council’s Feb. 4 meeting.

“I think this town can be real pleased as to where it’s going right now,” Seibel said.

Using a PowerPoint presentation, Seibel showed the council how 2012 compared to previous years starting with 2006, when Tabor College students Josh Elliott and Rob Moore helped Seibel developed a “baseline” for the city’s economic well-being.

The presentation covered five...

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All smiles for Warrior royalty

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 12 February 2013 11:38

 

Montana Percell and Jacob Harper, Marion High School’s winter homecoming queen and king, exit the gym floor in good cheer following the crowning ceremony prior to the boys’ basketball game Friday.The student body also nominated Jenevieve Corona and Whitney Christensen for queen and Jordan Hett and Ryan Nelson for king. To find out about the results of the night’s basketball games against Bennington, see Sports starting on Page 6A.

 

 

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Turnaround leads Bluejay women back into NAIA poll

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 05 February 2013 14:35

Tabor College women’s coach Shawn Reed talks to his team during a timeout. Under his leadership, the women’s basketball program has returned to the level of success it once enjoyed, cracking the NAIA Division II national poll last week at No. 25. The Tabor College women’s basketball program marked an important step forward last Tuesday when the Bluejays cracked the NAIA Division II Women’s Basket­ball Coaches’ Top 25 National Poll for the first time since the 2006-07 season.

After receiving votes for the past two weeks, the Bluejays finally broken into the national poll at No. 25.

At the end of last season, when the Bluejays finished the year with a 7-21 overall record, few people would have thought the current team would compete at the top of the 10-team Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference the following year. Perhaps even fewer believed they would be ranked nationally.

The foundation for this marked turnaround would be laid long before the first practice of this...

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Incentives helped attract residents to land of ROZ

Written by Patty Decker Tuesday, 29 January 2013 13:32

Lee Waldron, with wife Sara Jo and daughter Lydia, checked the website to see if Marion County had joined the ROZ program. Two individuals from Marion County are taking advantage of the state’s Rural Opportunity Zone program, which provides a 100 percent state tax waiver up to five years and help in repaying outstanding student loans.

The two ROZ applicants accepted in Marion County include Lee Waldron, director of admissions at Tabor College, and Autumn Reece, school psychologist in Hillsboro and Goessel school districts.

Waldron said he graduated from Tabor College and his wife, Sara Jo, attended the college her freshman and sophomore years.

“God opened the door for us to return to Marion County based on a job offer at Tabor,” he said.

For Reece, a Kansas native and Ottawa University graduate, she said her focus was on rural school districts...

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