In a meeting that lasted more than 4 hours Monday, county planning and zoning commissioners approved Expedition Wind’s application for a conditional use permit by a 4-2 vote. Planning commission members Derek Belton, Dwight Flaming, Jim Schmidt, and Glenn Thiessen voted in favor of sending the plan to county commissioners after hearing company officials discuss the proposal and answer questions from commissioners. Duane Bair and William Kroupa voted against the plan. Expedition’s development plan passed on a 5-1 vote with Bair, Belton, Flaming, Schmidt and Thiessen in favor and Kroupa opposed. (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

After months of claims that dogs are affecting Marion mail carriers’ ability to do their jobs, documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act indicate Marion postal workers have filed no dog complaints in two years and only three in four years. However as recently as this week Marion police reported ticketing a dog owner after a postal worker said the owner’s dog was dangerous and running free. According to documents released by the USPS, there have been 13 dog reports under the jurisdiction area of Marion post office from 2016 to 2019. (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Although a proposal to build a wind farm in the southern portion of the county has drawn strong opposition since August, not everyone stands against its construction. Expedition Wind Farm, proposed by National Renewable Resources, would span from Florence to Aulne to north of Peabody. Opponents have contested its construction since August. The opponents, however, are not among the 41 landowners who have 81 contracts with NRS. (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

A frequent contention among opponents of a proposed wind farm in the southern portion of the county is that wind turbines are noisy. The website consumer.healthday.com reports on a 2018 Canadian government study of wind turbine noise. The study shows that living near a wind turbine can be annoying, but “doesn’t answer questions about how their noise might affect human health.” (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Marion could have a designated downtown historical district in about a year after the city hires a consultant with a grant from the Kansas Historical Society. The society announced the $9,750 grant Saturday. "The endgame is to put together a historic district so people can sell tax credits to do remodeling," city administrator Roger Holter said.If a historical district is designated in downtown Marion, and the district is listed on the state or national historical registers, property owners can apply for the tax credits to sell in order to raise money for restoration of their buildings. (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Donna Kaiser’s concern about her county lake neighborhood filling up with storage buildings brought much discussion at Monday’s county commission meeting. Zoning regulations in the residential area by the lake require single-family homes to be built in the area with water and sewer connections. The rule is on the books, but the county does not have a building inspector to enforce it. "What is happening is, three lots were sold and people were going to store their lake toys," Kaiser said. "My concern is, if one gets to do it, pretty soon everyone wants to do it." [MORE] (Read more: Marion [...]

As the county board of zoning appeals prepares to consider a conditional use permit for a proposed wind farm April 25, relations between landowners in the 22,000-acre area the wind farm would span between Florence, Peabody and Aulne are tense. Many landowners near the proposed wind farm have raised objections - so many the county held its March 11 meeting at Marion Community Center. That meeting, attended by more than 100 people, lasted five hours with comments from both supporters and opponents of the wind farm. (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Contaminated soil found during construction of a new county transfer station will cost the county $24,060 more than originally anticipated for the project. Refuse director Bud Druse alerted county commissioners to diesel contamination in February. At that time, no one knew how the problem would be resolved. Now that Kansas Department of Health and Environment has assessed the contamination, it recommends the soil, which was excavated and piled southeast of the transfer station, be turned weekly to aerate it until the diesel fuel is cleared. [MORE] (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Dakota Patterson has embraced the virtue of living small with a 12-by-32-foot “tiny” house he is furnishing in Florence. While it might be easier to build than a full-size home, there are still safety measures to consider, said Trayce Warner, a Florence city councilmember. “Just using it as a shed is one thing, but if he’s planning on living in it, there are other requirements to be met,” she said. [MORE] (Read more: Marion County RECORD)

Florence city council members moved another step closer to resolution on the Crystal Springs lease agreement Monday. Mayor Bob Gayle said the document is being reviewed for final details. ... The council did not discuss the reason to pursue eminent domain several months ago. Local business owner Sarah Dawson asked whether it would be addressed at the special meeting.The special meeting will be exclusively for signing the lease agreement, but the council will set a future meeting to answer residents’, Gayle said. (Read more: Marion County RECORD)