News

Economy sets stage for governor’s race

By Roy Wenzl
For the I-R

She’s heard the predictions that a Democrat can’t get elected Kansas governor these days. Kansans vote mostly Republican, after all, even in her State Senate District 18. So, Sen. Laura Kelly knows better than most that the race will be a close one. Recent polls show her slightly ahead of her Republican challenger, Secretary of State Kris Kobach.

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By Jennifer McDaniel
For the Ellsworth I-R

As an avid disc golfer, Dave Cox loves a challenge. And in this sport, there are plenty of them.

Some come in the form of physical obstacles, trying to block the disc as it glides into a basket. Others come as gusty winds that can blow a disc off course.

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By Alan Rusch
Ellsworth County I-R

Dreams do come true — just ask Ellsworth’s Roberta Waymaster. She received a $50,000 check Friday at the Casey’s General Store in Ellsworth as the grand prize winner of Casey’s 50th anniversary sweepstakes.

“I feel amazed,” she said in an interview with the Independent-Reporter. “I’m still trying to accept it. I’m just in a daze — it’s a blessing. I’m totally flabbergasted. I just can’t tell you how wonderful this is going to be.”

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By LINDA MOWERY-DENNING
Ellsworth County I-R

Justin Wacker could hear the faint cries for help but he couldn’t see beyond the headlights and a flashlight that illuminated small patches of the darkness that surrounded him and his truck.

Meanwhile, several hundred yards away, Teresa Sneath had grabbed the branch of a tree — waiting and hoping to be rescued from the flood waters that had carried her to this spot near the Smoky Hill River.

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BY JUDI BROWN
Marquette Tribune

Several Marquette citizens spoke at the regular monthly meeting of the Marquette City Council Tuesday, Oct. 9, about the city’s recent break-ins.

All council members were present except Megan Dauer. After the meeting was called to order, members of the public were given a chance to express their concerns about keeping their property, and more importantly, themselves safe from criminals who are targeting properties in Marquette and other areas in McPherson County. A number of those who voiced their concerns at the meeting requested their names not be publicized to avoid retribution.

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BY THE TRIBUNE STAFF

The Marquette Senior Center wants to hear from you. For months now, board members have talked about the possibility of providing public transportation, using money from a newlyformed recreation district that covers the Marquette area, including a section of eastern Ellsworth County.

Janis Larson, board secretary, said the plan — in its early stages — would be to provide transportation from the Senior Center to different locations one to two times a month.

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By Jennifer McDaniel
For the Ellsworth I-R

A plan to open a local museum focusing on the history of the cattle drive and introducing the stories of the drover to a national audience is one step closer to becoming a reality.

In mid-September, officials with the Chapman Center for Rural Studies at Kansas State University announced the National Drovers Hall of Fame was selected to participate in a key, two-year pilot program sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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By Alan Rusch
Ellsworth County I-R

Ellsworth County Sheriff Murray Marston presented what he described as “preliminary” plans for possible renovation or replacement of the county jail during Monday’s meeting of the Ellsworth County commissioners.

“We kind of got started on this because we were talking about having to revamp our dispatch,” Marston said. “We can’t dispatch more than one person at a time and we don’t have room to expand where we’re at, so the obvious place to look was the basement.”

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By Jennifer McDaniel
For the Ellsworth I-R

While state corn production numbers are expected to come in slightly below last year’s totals, county ag experts are waiting to see how significantly a persistent drought affected the 2018 harvest.

Though combines are beginning to appear in some fields throughout Ellsworth County, the harvest isn’t in full swing just yet.

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By Chelsea Graber
Special to the Tribune

Exciting happenings are moving the Marquette Learning Center (MLC) forward.

The Marquette Learning Center in McPherson County is one of the 16 nonprofit organizations to be awarded Community Service Tax Credits by the Kansas Department of Commerce for 2018 and 2019. MLC will receive $215,000 in Community Tax Credits.

Since 1994, each year the Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded the state Community Service Tax Credits, which help nonprofit organizations undertake major capital fundraising drives. Tax credit awards are distributed through an application process and organizations may request up to $250,000 in tax credits.

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