News

By Mark Gardner
Ellsworth County I-R

Drovers Cottage at the Good Samaritan Retirement Village will close its doors Nov. 1 with its three residents having to move by Oct. 31.

Over the past several years, the resident population of the senior apartments has continued to decline, according to a press release issued Aug. 24 by the Good Samaritan Society. Another factor in the closing, according to the release, is the variety of services available elsewhere in Ellsworth that meet the needs of seniors.

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By Mark Gardner
Ellsworth County I-R

St. Ignatius Loyola Catholic Church Fiesta organizers Tomasa Cisneros and Bert Rojas are preparing to pass the torch to long time helper and church member Veronica Kyler.

Kyler is a life-long Ellsworth County resident and has always considered St. Ignatius her home church. She was baptized there and has attended services at the frame house of worship for decades.

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By LINDA MOWERY-DENNING
Ellsworth County I-R

Executive board members of the Smoky Hill Development Corporation met Monday afternoon to hammer out a plan to find a replacement for longtime executive director Rob Fillion, who resigned this past week.

President Justin Lindsley said the corporation, the economic development arm of Ellsworth County, will search at least statewide — and perhaps beyond — for a new director. Officials planned to meet again Wednesday morning.

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Pastor Jeff Graber
Special to the Marquette Tribune

At nine a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 9, the Marquette United Methodist Church opened its doors for its One Day Community Vacation Bible School. Forty-six kids filed into the church for a day of fun starting with an opening skit performed by the pastor and camp leader, Jeff Graber and his wife, Chelsea, also known as wilderness expert Sally. From there, children joined in the excitement as they learned new songs, played games, listened to stories and ate snacks. The program for the day was Camp Out: Getting S’more of Jesus. Staying true to the theme, the sanctuary was decorated with a starry night backdrop behind a camping scene complete with a tent and “campfire”.

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By the I-R Staff

The Lady Bearcat volleyball team lost four of its key players in the 2016- 17 season to graduation, but coach Amy Johnson said there are younger players eager to step up.

“What may pose as a weakness in the beginning may be one of our strengths in the end,” Johnson said. “We will have some young players who will need to step into roles early.

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By the I-R Staff

The Bearcat football team has a new coach, Josh Homolka, who is determined that players will do their best when they take the field.

“My family and I are excited to be part of the Ellsworth community,” Homolka said. “I am excited for all our athletic teams to perform at their highest level.”

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By LINDA MOWERY-DENNING
Ellsworth County I-R

Former Ellsworth band teacher David Rankin wasn’t sure what to expect when he sent out invitations to his former students about getting together for a reunion during the town’s 150th Anniversary Celebration.

But, like everything else this past weekend, reality seemed to exceed expectations. More than 40 of Rankin’s former students marched with him Saturday morning. Adding to their numbers were the 34-member Ellsworth High School band directed by Samantha Lackey.

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By LINDA MOWERY-DENNING
Ellsworth County I-R

In a weekend punctuated by faux gun shots, the roar of motorcycles and the sound of cattle, it was the unexpected moments that often meant the most.

Grand marshal and parade announcer Kenny Castor climbing down from the review stand Saturday morning to hug an old friend.

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This photo was taken by the Ellsworth County Independent-Reporter’s Mark Gardner Saturday morning, who was in a lift over Douglas Avenue during the parade. The parade was divided into two parts — the traditional entries followed by more than a hundred head of trophy Longhorns.

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By Sandi Collman
Special to the Marquette Tribune

The Marquette City Council met for its regular monthly meeting Tuesday night, Aug. 8 at City Hall.

The meeting opened with a public input session dealing with matters such as a city website, the closing of Main Street downtown from 3 p.m. to midnight for a street dance Oct. 21 (it will not block any intersections), setting up a fishing tournament for kids, drainage concerns along the nature trail and the use of the elementary school art classroom for craft programs.

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