SALUTE THE HOLTON INSIDE WETMORE, KANSAS Sub-state Hometown of basketball Dave & Elizabeth tourneys Schraer Holton Recorder subscribers under way! for 30 years. RECORDERServing the Jackson County Community for 153 years See pages 6-7. Volume 153, Issue 18 HOLTON, KANSAS • Wednesday, March 4, 2020 16 Pages $1.00 Street brick work to resume in 2020 n 800 block of Iowa to be restored as part of city road maintenance plan By Brian Sanders concrete parking surfaces, he This summer, young men and added. women from the Holton area Tanking’s presentation also will be hitting the bricks again high lighted the reason why the — the street bricks, that is. brick pro gram was put on hold That’s according to Holton last year. Street Superintendent Greg “Our asphalt has taken some Tanking, who presented his pun ishment from the weather department’s 2020 pro gram and other issues,” he said, cit- for street maintenance and re- ing spring storms that left the pair on Monday to the Holton overall condition of the city’s City Commission, which voted 109 sections of asphalt streets unani mously to approve the an- in poor shape. nual pro gram. Making matters worse, he Tanking told commissioners said, was the fact that the ma- that after taking off a year in terial used last year to fill as- 2019 from the brick street res- phalt street cracks on Fifth toration program to tackle the Street near Holton Elementary declining condition of several School, touted as “the creme asphalt streets in the city, his de la creme” of crack-filling department plans to undertake material by its manufacturer, a brick restoration project in is already “popping out.” Most the 800 block of Iowa Avenue. of that material, however, was The project will complete brick provided to the city to try, he work on Iowa between Fourth added. Street and Holton Middle This year, Tanking’s depart- School, he said. ment plans to perform crack- The 800 block of Iowa, Tank- filling work on a total of 18 ing told commissioners, has a blocks, and as he not ed, “we’re spot in the middle of the road going to do it old-style” with that is “real spongey and has heated rubber that “is supposed holes,” and resi dents along that to stick a little better” than the From left to right in the photo above, Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse, Kansas Rep. Randy Garber, Kansas Sen. section of Iowa “have been ask- other material. Dennis Pyle and Kansas Rep. Francis Awerkamp listened as Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins talked with area ing for that one for a while.” Tanking also proposed residents about current events in the nation’s capital during a Saturday morning event at the Hutchins Building on Weather permitting, concrete chip-and-seal work on 34 city Holton’s Town Square. More than 40 area residents were on hand to meet with area lawmakers, including Holton work on the curbs and brick blocks, with some parking lot resident Rex Larrison, shown at right with Rep. Awerkamp in the photo below. Photos by David Powls base is expected to begin “the work planned at the parking lots Monday after Easter,” Tanking at the city’s parks. In the lat- said, so that young people in the ter case, if there is not enough brick program can begin lay- room in the budget to cover all Lawmakers report on several topics ing bricks right after Memori al of the parking lots at the parks, Day. The city has a good sup- he said, “we will get the ones By David Powls ply of bricks left over from that need it the worst first and More than 40 people from removing some of the parking pick up the rest next year.” the area gathered at the Hutchins areas around Holton’s Town Building on the west side of the Square and replacing them with Continued to Page 16 Holton Town Square here Sat- urday morning to hear reports from three state lawmakers who Spring Break is next week represent the area at the Kansas Legislature. Sen. Dennis Pyle (R-Hia- at Jackson County schools watha), Rep. Francis Awerkamp (R-St. Marys) and Rep. Randy Local school districts and break next week. Garber (R-Sabetha) were all in area colleges and universi- All state universities, as well attendance here Saturday morn- ties are closed for spring break as Washburn University, are also ing as were Congressman Steve next week, Monday, March 9, taking spring break next week. Watkins (R-KS) and Jackson through Friday, March 13, it has Students in all aforemen- County Sheriff Tim Morse. been reported. tioned schools and universities Congressman Watkins, who is All three Jackson County will return to class on Monday, in his first two-year term of rep- school districts – Holton, Jack- March 16. resenting the Second Congres- son Heights and Royal Valley Prairie Hills USD 113, which sional District, talked about the – as well as students who at- includes Wetmore, will be off recent poll that his re-election tend Atchison County Commu- for spring break the following campaign committee paid for, nity Schools USD 377 are all on week, March 16-20. that showed him to be ahead of his competitors by 26 percent. Watkins also talked about his “heartland values” obtained through his family ties to Hol- Topeka author to speak ton and Jackson County. He also spoke about how the at Founders Day event Republican Party is in the mi- nority in Congress currently. Topeka author Nancy “It’s scary to me sometimes Geise will be the featured how much power the majority speaker for the Jackson party has,” he said. County Historical & Ge- He said that 96 percent of the nealogical Society’s annual time he votes with President Founders Day program set Donald Trump. Rep. Garber, who has served talked about his activities on the ers who make their calls to you for Thursday, March 19, it Watkins said he is proud of the 62nd District, which includes energy, utilities and telecommu- look like they are coming from has been announced. the work he has been doing on Nemaha and Brown counties, nications committee. a local number, when in reality The program is based on veterans affairs issues. about one-third of Atchison The State Legislature, he said, they may be calling from India her book “Auschwitz #34207 “Of 150 cases we’ve helped County and two precincts in is waiting to see what the federal or another foreign country. — The Joe Rubinstein Story.” with, more than 70 have been Jackson County in the Netawa- government is going to do about The dinner and program will resolved, so far,” he said. ka and Whiting area, since 2011, “spoofing” - that is, scam call- Continued to Page 16 be held at 6 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 1401 W. Fourth St. in Hol- Daylight Saving Time “Blessing box” on its ton. A social will be held at will begin at 2 a.m. on 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $30 and Sunday, March 8. Don’t are available at all area main forget to set your clocks way to Linscott Park banks or by calling Anna forward an hour before Wilhelm at 785-364-4991. The dinner will be served going to bed Saturday By Brian Sanders ple leave donated non-perishable night. by First United Methodist Noting that more than 10 per- food items and other goods for Church members. The menu Daylight Saving Time cent of Jackson County residents those in need to pick up anony- Nancy Geise is observed everywhere in will include garden salad report edly suffer from “food mously — with the concept of with dressing, seasoned pork worse for young Rubinstein the United States except insecurity,” members of a Hol- “take what you need and bring Arizona, Hawaii, Ameri- tenderloin with cherry sauce, — much worse. ton church pro posed placing a what you can.” cheesy potatoes, green beans Rubinstein arrived at the can Samoa, Guam, Puerto “blessing box” in Linscott Park Nadeau cited a Kansas Health Rico and the Virgin Is- and strawberry cake. Auschwitz concentration so that the hungry have another Matters study that listed Jackson In May of 1945, Joe Ru- camp on April 30, 1942. It lands. option for non-perishable food County’s “food insecurity” rate Fire department person- binstein walked out of a Nazi would be seven decades be- items. at 11.5 percent in 2017 — just concentration camp where fore he revealed how he sur- nel also encourage people During their regular meet- below the state median of 11.7 to install new batteries he had been held prisoner. vived several of the most no- Set your ing on Monday, members of the percent for that year — and not- For more than 70 years, his torious concentration camps. in their smoke detectors Holton City Commission unani- ed that while there are options for when they change their remarkable story was hidden His is an inspiring narrative; mously approved the proposal feeding those in need, those op- from the world. a story of reliance, endur- clock ahead clocks for Daylight Sav- from Holton’s First United Meth- tions are limited. ing Time, which will end Shortly before dawn on a ance, courage and faith. odist Church Mis sion Committee “The Jackson County Food frigid morning in Radom, Po- Barefooted when he was at 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. to place a “blessing box” in the Pantry is open three hours a on Saturday 1, it was reported.