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When love goes wrong... Iola High students get it right with two one-act plays By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
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COVID worsens across Kansas PAGE A2
ACC adjusts to COVID outbreaks By TREVOR HOAG The Iola Register
Allen Community College continues to navigate and make adjustments due to COVID-19, but appears to be controlling the virus on campus more successfully than earlier in the semester. According to vice president Cynthia Jacobson, ACC has recorded the following numbers of students and staff affected by the novel coronavirus since the beginning of fall: — 65 people have tested positive. — 228 people have been quarantined. Jacobson also noted that quarantine times often differ, ranging anywhere from a full two weeks to only a couple days (while See ACC | Page A5
There’s nothing so beautiful as first love. There’s also nothing quite as crazy. Iola High School’s drama department presents two oneact plays tonight and Friday that explore the lengths young lovers will go in the name of true love. Presenting a play during a pandemic comes with several challenges, forensics teacher and director Regina Chriestenson said. Performances will be at 7 p.m. at the Bowlus Fine Arts Center. She picked two one acts by Don Zolidis, “The Devil in Sherman Marsh” and “The Staggering Heartbreak of Jasmine Merriwether,” to give students flexibility in the event of an outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Many of the roles are small, with one or two lines, that could be picked up by other students if someone was unavailable. One student is currently in quarantine and won’t be available; another student stepped into that role. Another student was unavailable for Wednesday’s dress rehearsal, and it was unknown if that person would be able to perform. The play also was easy to adapt for social distancing. Students do occasionally touch, but they can spread out across the stage. They also wear masks. The audience also will be asked to wear masks and social distance. Tickets are $5 at the door; USD 257 students are free. Family units will sit together and a Bowlus usher will seat each group. The play will be streamed online on Broadway on De-
Above, new girl Nora, left, played by Miah Shelby, and Sherman Marsh, played with manic energy by Austin Morris, discover they have a lot in common in “The Devil in Sherman Marsh.” At right, Eve Ard, seated, is delightful as the title character in “The Staggering Heartbreak of Jasmine Merriwether.” She’s shown with interpretive dancers Shelby, Keira Fawson and Macie Hoag. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
mand on Saturday and Sunday. The cost is $10 and you must create a free account on the service. The link will be posted on the IHS Theater and Forensics Facebook page. The Devil in Sherman Marsh
Austin Morris plays the title character with manic relish. He’s a classic nerd, bullied by his peers who spend their time making fart noises and telling See PLAY | Page A5
13 Reasons takes mental health virtual Biden moves By TIM STAUFFER The Iola Register
About a month ago, Sharla Miller was scrambling. She knew she needed to do something; the response from last year’s “13 Reasons to Fly SEK” conference had been too positive to ignore. Yet the pandemic kept closing doors, making event spaces impossible to reserve and speakers hesitant to commit. So Miller reached out to her friend Jodi Grover, a former Iola High School counselor who is now the chief operating officer of VIBE Interactive, a digital company based in Ottawa that focuses on student mental health and social and emotional learning. Grover assured her they could do an event virtually. And here they are: Over 110 people have already registered for a second year of “13 Reasons to Fly SEK,” an event dedicated to suicide Vol. 122, No. 266 Iola, KS 75 Cents
Sharla Miller, right, stands with Isabelle Cole, founder of the national 13 Reasons to Fly movement, outside Wesley United Methodist Church during Cole’s visit to Iola last year. COURTESY PHOTO
prevention education for youth and communities at large, which will occur this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. The virtual format will include a series of sessions, panels and a keynote speech by Isabelle Cole, founder of
the national 13 Reasons to Fly movement, all transmitted via Zoom. Though forced to do the event online, Miller said, “Moving forward, this could be a blessing — a chance to think outside the box and still make this event happen
no matter what. We’ll do this every year, as long as it takes.” The message is simple: Not one more. Not one more life lost to suicide. And no matter the setbacks along the way, the storms to weather, Miller remains undaunted. More than a year has passed since she lost her son to suicide, and she passionately asserts the need to break the stigma around talking about mental health. In fact, Miller is convinced “13 Reasons to Fly SEK” is something our community needs more than ever. “From all the numbers experts have shared with me, we haven’t even seen the tip of the iceberg when it comes to how COVID has wrought havoc on our kids,” she said. “Kids have had to stay home, they can’t get out, some have been quarantined. Mental health will be as big an issue as ever See REASONS | Page A6
on without Trump’s intel WASHINGTON (AP) — The presidential race was hovering in limbo in 2000 when outgoing President Bill Clinton decided to let thenGov. George W. Bush read the ultra-secret daily brief of the nation’s most sensitive intelligence. Clinton was a Democrat and his vice president, Al Gore, was running against Republican Bush. Gore had been reading the so-called President’s Daily Brief for eight years; Clinton decided to bring Bush into the fold in case he won — and he did. President Donald Trump has not followed Clinton’s lead. As he contests this year’s election results, Trump has not authorized President-elect Joe Biden to See BIDEN | Page A3
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