5 years ago (Jan. 14, 2009)

Written by Hillsboro Free Press Tuesday, 13 January 2009 14:04

FIVE YEARS AGO

n Officials from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in cooperation with the Marion County Sheriff’s office, removed the remaining animals from an exotic-animal confinement located between Peabody and Burns. In all 10 animals were removed, including three tigers, three lions and two leopards.

n The Marion County Board of Commissioners discussed the possibility that enough money might be left over following the closure of the old solid-waste landfill southwest of Marion to fund a new position for a county economic development director.

n Sheriff Lee Becker warned seniors especially about a scam involving the sale of lightning rods and associated equipment at prices higher than normal. Three elderly people in the area had been taken in by the offer.

n Hillsboro Fire Depart­ment volunteers tried on “bunker gear” purchased with a $19,000 Federal Emergency Manage­ment Administration grant.

n The Hillsboro City Council agreed to spend up to $32,000 to put sprinklers in Memorial Park and the Sports Complex in an effort to make both recreation areas more user-friendly.

n The USD 410 Board of Education was introduced to an “interest-based bargaining” approach to negotiating teacher contracts. The plan was presented by the non-profit group called Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

n A meeting is planned for Jan. 22 in Lincolnville to see if their is community support for a new community building. The project would be funded through the KANSTEP program, and would require local volunteer labor to qualify.

TEN YEARS AGO

n Building a Marion-Hills­boro power plant generated opposing viewpoints about its financial viability from representatives of Western Resources/KP&L, the county’s current electrical provider, and representatives from the engineering firm of Shafer, Kline and Warren Inc.

n McDonald’s announced it will be enlarging its seating capacity in Hillsboro by 30 seats by building an addition to the east side of the store.

n Hillsboro High School boys’ basketball coach Darrel Knoll won his 200th career game when the Trojans defeated Haven Friday night. Knoll, who began coaching at HHS in 1988-89, took a little more than 10 seasons to reach the milestone.

n The city of Goessel received a state grant of $18,000 from the Local Government Outdoor Recreation program that should cover half the cost of building two new ball fields in the city. The city’s recreation commission will chip in $8,000 and the city will kick in the rest.