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Big rains provide big boost for soybeans and corn.
Tabor College welcomes new cross-country coach.
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AG FOCUS / Page 10
Free Press HILLSBORO
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VOL. 17
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PAID Hillsboro, KS Permit No. 1 POSTAL CUSTOMER
Dedicated to serving Hillsboro and Greater Marion County, Kansas
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Sealing the deal Workers with Circle C Paving of Goddard began seal coating the east half of Hillsboro’s Main Street on Monday, plus the entire 100 block of East Grand Avenue. The Axys mastic surface treatment was sprayed onto the streets primarily by truck (top photo), but some manual application was required to cover corner areas (lower photo). The company was to seal coat the west half of Main Street and the entire 100 block of West Grand on Tuesday. The project, postponed several days because of rain, required no parking in the targeted area during the day. City officials said the project is “an important maintenance project to extend the life of those streets.”
DON RATZLAFF / FREE PRESS
Susan Beeson comes to USD 397 with three years of superintendent experience at USD 505 Chetopa-St. Paul in southeast Kansas.
A servant at her Centre Traffic up at county food bank
FREE PRESS PHOTOS BY DON RATZLAFF
n Susan Beeson is new super at USD 397.
BY
DON RATZLAFF
The Free Press
Whether ordained by birth order or as an outgrowth of her upbringing, Susan Beeson sees her journey to the superintendent’s role at USD 397-Centre as a natural extension of who she is and wants to be. “I was the oldest of four children, so I kind of took a leadership role early in life, and I have kind of been driven by passion and love for others,” said Beeson, who was raised in Texas and southwest Oklahoma, and shaped by the positive influence of her grandparents. “I feel like I’ve grown up
as a servant of people, particularly children, and as a strong advocate for education,” she said Beeson comes to Centre after three years as superintendent at USD 505 ChetopaSt. Paul in southeast Kansas. Ironically, the girls’ basketball teams from the two high schools played each other at state this past March. Beeson said she was cheering for St. Paul at the time, but was already looking into the opening at Centre. “I was seeking an opportunity to continue to work in a rural setting, advocating for innovative programing and an environment where we’re focused on edu-
n See Servant, Page 11
many families were served on a monthly basis. “(We think) the average was It isn’t quite a well-oiled machine yet, but for volunteers at 80 to 100 families,” he said. For 30 years, the church the Marion County Food Bank would open the food bank two and Resource Center, it’s getdays a week, from 9 a.m. to ting closer. noon. Gerry Henderson, chairAt the new location at 1220 man of the organization, reMain St., 460-plus adults went cently reported to Marion through the center in May and County commissioners about June on Mondays from 9 a.m. their progress. to noon, and Thursdays from After two months, he said, 4:30-7:30 p.m. and a change of name, loca“By changing the hours on tion, vouchering system and board of directors, everyone at Thursday,” he said, “it gives the bank was surprised by how those a chance that are working to get off work and get up many more families they are here.” reaching. The new location has a When the food bank was at much better situation for peoMarion’s Valley United Methodist Church, Henderson ple who have trouble with said statistics were lax on how steps, he said.
BY
PATTY DECKER
The Free Press
‘I feel I’m a full survivor’/
ALEEN RATZLAFF / FREE PRESS
BANK CHAIRMAN
n Victim advocate sees many women who face ‘victim blaming,’ the idea that victims have control over what they experience.
ALEEN RATZLAFF
The Free Press
“While our demand increased fourfold—at least—our supply hasn’t kept up with that.” —GERRY HENDERSON, FOOD
n See Traffic, Page 10
crisis center in Emporia. Two year ago, Joanne said, she was referred to “Joanne,” not her real Loffer, who has helped her name, has lived with emowork through the long-term tional and physical abuse abuse experienced as a child since she was 6 years old. and an adult. Now at age 38, this mother Joanne’s story involves of two wants others to hear growing up in a tumultuous her story. “Because I know if I can family, living with an alcoholic abuser and battling do it, considering a lot of mental illness, which has the obstacles—I should not involved being hospitalized be alive to this day—there and medicated. should be no reason that “I felt like I could never anybody else can’t,” said Joanne, who lives in Marion do anything good enough,” she said. “And it’s like County. because I have certain (menJoanne said she has tal) disorders, I was scared found needed support through the Sexual Assault to leave because it’s not that /Domestic Violence Center. I didn’t know any better, but I knew I deserved better. But “I feel I’m a full surI was scared.” vivor,” she said, and gave a A decade ago, Joanne lost lot of credit for surviving to custody of her daughter and Teresa Loffer, the SA/DV son when they were 5 and 3. victim advocate in Marion “I tried for 10 years to get County, and a best friend in Wichita, whom she met at a my daughter back because
BY
Teresa Loffer, victim advocate for sexual abuse and domestic violence in Marion County, meets as needed with “Joanne” (foreground), who said she’s found the support she’s needed to work through the abuse she’s experienced since a child.
“With the absence of stairs, people can get to us easily. Now that we have accessibility, people can come in wheelchairs, walkers or ride bicycle. One crisis away “Folks are always asking me about people who may be (abusing) the system,” he said. “I am sure there are some, but I can’t detect them easily.” Henderson said a recent situation involved one of the volunteers and how she works hard to make people feel good about coming in. “She had a friend who retired at the same time she did, and she thought the other couple had finances reasonably the same,” he said. One day her friend showed
of all the lies and (my) mental breakdown,” she said. “My dad passed away. Because the state and everybody wanted to listen to lies and stuff like that, I lost my kids. I just felt like I was hopeless.” Common feelings Loffer said Joanne’s feelings of hopelessness are common for those who have experienced abuse. “This is indicative of what we see, feeling like the system was abusive to her,” she said. The first thing Loffer did was find ways to help stabilize Joanne’s feelings of hopelessness, she said, and it often meant bringing her through “the next 15-minutes of a crisis.” Together they worked on setting goals. “Goal setting was very n See Survivor, Page 5