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Thanksg py iv p in a g H ! IT’S NOT TOO LATE! @HoltonRecorder TODAY Chamber Hall of Follow us Fame tickets are Our special still available! on twitter! For more info, see Fall Fix-Up the ad on page 12. MONDAY section inside! FRIDAY COMING WEDNESDAY SALUTE HE OLTON INSIDE SUBSCRIBE TODAY! County to host T H The special HOLTON, KANSAS Play Christmas When you subscribe, northeast Kansas Hometown of Football greetings and you save nearly 50% o officials meeting. Phil & Colene Letters to the newsstand price! See page 11. Gutierrez Pick’em See Page 8. Santa section! Holton Recorder subscribers for 28 years. RECORDERServing the Jackson County Community for 148 years Volume 148, Issue 85 HOLTON, KANSAS • Monday, October 26, 2015 14 Pages $1.00 SAVINGS When you Today is the subscribe , you first day of fall! Miller, Etzel, Marek nominated save nearly n Governor to name new Second District judge within 60 days: Lake 50% o the By Brian Sanders current Jackson County residents. paying attention.” newsstand price! Jackson County Attorney Shawna R. All seven candidates were invited by the Marek said his greatest strength was his Miller, Onaga-based attorney Christopher commission to present opening statements “background in terms of variety of cases,” WEDNESDAY T. Etzel and Wabaunsee County Attorney about themselves and why they thought they having worked as a prosecutor and as a de- Nor bert C. Marek Jr. were selected Thurs- would be the best candidate for the judge- fender, as well as authoring or co-authoring day by the Kansas Second Judicial District ship, then were asked individual questions a number of published opinions in the Kan- Jackson Nominating Commission as the three final- by members of the commission. The most sas Supreme Court and the state’s Court of is Electio ists for the Second District Judge position common ques tions concerned their stron- Appeals. That, he said, has given him “a County 4-H ay n previously held by the late Micheal Ire- gest in dividual strengths, how they would very well-rounded, practical legal educa- d D land. handle “volatile” domestic cases involving tion.” MARCH MADNESS s a The selection came following a series of children and how they would dispose of Concerning the question of “volatile” Fair parade e y u ! interviews with seven Second District at- their existing caseloads. domestic cases in which estranged or di- T torneys held that morning at the Jackson The first of those three questions, posed vorced parents are unable to restrain their NCAA men’s set for 6! County Courthouse, followed by a 30-min- by commissioner David Allen of Circlev- emotions, posed by commissioner Norma ute executive session in which the nominat- ille, drew varying re sponses from the can- Dunnaway of Perry, candidates fa vored tournament ing commission narrowed the seven down didates. The answers ranged from Olsen’s mediation between parents to try to keep to three candidates for the position. “ability to hear and listen to all sides” to the peace between the parents inside and bracket on Holton attorney J. Richard Lake, who Morrissey’s desire to make sure that all par- outside of court, and appointing a guardian acted as secretary for the nominating com- ties to litigation have “an honest-to-God ad litem in cases where that is not possible. page 10! mission, said the commission’s recommen- fair share” to King’s “experience in the area “I know how quickly a domestic case dations of Miller, Etzel and Marek will be of real life,” including his time as a defen- can turn into something more volatile,” forwarded to Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback. dant in some court cases. said Miller, who noted that “almost all” The governor now has 60 days to appoint a Miller told the commission that even domestic cases that involve children have judge to take over for Ireland, whose death though she has a fair amount of experience the po tential to become unstable and have a on Aug. 29 created the bench vacancy. in civil and domestic law, “my first love is negative effect upon the children. Others seeking nomination included criminal law,” adding that she can get “a Some of the attorneys were questioned Jackson County Counselor Alexandria S. pretty good grasp on a situation” in a court- on how many cases they would need to re- Morrissey of Holton, Zachary A. King of room setting, as her seven years as Jackson cuse themselves from if they are appointed Hoyt, Thomas Britt Nichols of Wamego County Attorney attest. judge, and those who were asked said they and Vivien J. Olsen of St. Marys. Three “I’d like to think I inherited my grand- would have no problem handling the mat- other previously-announced candidates father’s common sense,” Miller said. “He ter. As Wabaunsee County Attorney, Marek not living in the Second District, which was quite the negotiator.” said he would only have to recuse on some includes Jackson, Jef ferson, Pottawatomie For Etzel, his strongest points were of the cases he currently oversees there. and Wabaun see counties, were not included “probably my dependability, my tempera- Etzel said the only cases he would have in Thursday’s interviews. ment and my overall work ethic,” he said. to recuse himself from judging would be Of the three selected for recom mendation The latter of these, he noted, stems from a “the ones I’m current on.” He added that to the governor, only Miller and Etzel have need to be prepared for whatever comes his even though he has “a lot of repeat cus- current Jack son County addresses, while way in court. tomers” as a defense attorney, it should not Marek said he would move to Jackson “I will not be out-prepared when I go into cause a conflict of interest. County if appointed to the judge’s position. that courtroom,” Etzel said. “In every case, Of the others, King and Morrissey were the litigants want to know that the judge is Continued to Page 5 Harold and Jan Hodge Ozawkie man arrested honored by Chamber after Friday shooting By Brian Sanders would say there’s a lot of peo ple An Ozawkie resident has report- at Jackson County District Court. It’s a scene that many in north- more deserving than we are.” edly been charged with attempted According to Morse, Myers al- eastern Kansas look forward to one The Hodges, who originally grew first-degree murder after an alleged legedly fired a 9mm handgun at an- weekend every fall on Holton’s up in the Havensville and Onaga Friday afternoon shooting incident in other man who was standing across Town Square — arts, crafts and food area, were married in 1958 in Ha- Holton, according to Jackson County the street from him before leaving vendors putting down stakes for an vensville after Harold served a four- Sheriff Tim Morse. the scene. The intended victim was open-air market on all four sides of year stint in the U.S. Air Force. They Joshua Joseph Myers, 23, was not injured in the incident, he said. the Jackson County Courtyard. would move to the Denver, Colo., identified as the alleged shooter in the It was reported that Myers had That scene was a vision that Hol- area, where Harold worked for sev- incident, which reportedly oc curred been seen driving south out of Hol- ton residents Harold and Jan Hodge eral years at Martin Marietta Cor- shortly before 5 p.m. on Fri day near ton at a high rate of speed in a blue brought home several years ago poration in Littleton. the intersection of Fifth Street and Mitsubishi Eclipse, which was lo- from a trip to New Orleans’ famed At the time they moved back to Arizona Avenue, Morse said. cated in Denison about 10 minutes French Quarter and sug gested to the Jackson County in 1975, Harold was Myers is currently being held at later, Morse said. Sheriff’s of ficers Holton/Jackson County Chamber of a sales manager for Gates Rubber the Jackson County Detention Cen- initiated a car stop, and Myers was Commerce as an annual event — the Company. The Hodges seized the ter on $300,000 bond. The Deten- taken into custody. French Market. opportunity to return to northeastern tion Center’s Web site lists attempted The matter remains under inves- “The French Quarter is such an Kansas after a Gates representative, murder in the first degree as the sole tigation by the Jackson County Sher- interesting area, and we kept saying whose territory in cluded northeast- charge against Myers at press time; iff’s Office and the Holton Po lice while we were down there, ‘This just ern Kansas, de cided to step down, no documentation was available yet Department, Morse said. reminds us of the Town Square at and Harold took over that position. home,’” Jan Hodge said. “When we Although many of their family came home, we kind of discussed it and friends thought it was “a step with a few people, and we knew we down” for Harold, it proved to be a had the ideal setup to replicate that good move for the Hodges — par- Civil War veterans focus flavor in Holton. Why don’t we see ticularly for their children, who had how it goes?” been attending Denver schools that Even though it’s known today as had been “going through a difficult of Holton cemetery tour Fall Fest, the annual event that the time,” Jan said. Hodges inspired still draws large “He thought it would get us back By Ali Holcomb ing cemeteries in their communities crowds to the Square.