19. The Iola Register - March

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Wednesday, March 15, 2023

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State park hopes still afloat

By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register

TOPEKA — For a second time, members of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee unanimously approved a measure to create Lehigh Portland State Park on Monday afternoon.

The committee revisited the issue after “a lot of unanswered questions” surfaced after the initial vote on Feb. 20, said Rep. Ken Rahjes, chair of the committee.

At the top of the list was the accusation that the quarry’s water is contaminated.

Not so, said Randy Carlson, director of the Bureau of Environmental Remediation for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.

Carlson said samples of the water from both the lake and adjacent streams were tested March 9 and that “we didn’t see concentrations of contaminants that were of a health concern.”

Sediment samples taken from nearby stream beds were also considered safe, Carlson said, noting the two smelter sites of 100 years ago were more than a mile away.

When Brad Loveless, Sec-

retary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, was asked whether he would eat fish caught in the abandoned quarry, he replied, “I would definitely eat them.”

The scope and funding of the project was also further described.

Linda Lanterman, director of Kansas State Parks, pegged

Attendance lower for Bowlus shows

Supporters of the Bowlus Fine Arts Center will need to get creative to entice visitors to return to shows.

Attendance at the performing arts center has not recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and in fact seems to be even lower than last year.

Director Daniel Kays believes people are cutting back on entertainment purchases because of inflation, and because people prefer to stay home after learning new habits and hobbies during the pandemic.

“We lost getting out and going out and seeing things,” Kays told USD 257 board members at a meeting Monday evening. “And the economy is not helping.”

It seems to be a national

problem, as attendance is down across the board for arts and entertainment activities, Kays said.

Kays expects total ticket sales this year to fall well short of the $51,000 in revenue he had projected. Currently, he expects sales to be around $37,000. An event that brought Garrison Keillor to the Bowlus stage in February sold about 338 tickets; other shows did not surpass 300 in ticket sales.

A year ago, attendance at most Bowlus shows was between 450 to 500.

The Bowlus board invested more money in marketing and increased fundraising efforts this year. The center also was hit by costly

the state’s investment at $7.7 million. Features would include five fishing docks, four restroom buildings placed around the lake and trails, about 50 campsites, seven “floating” cabins positioned in the water and six regular cabins, two RV campgrounds, a visitor center, a splash park and playground

and continued development of the more than 200 acres of surrounding trails. The campground and recreation areas would include water, sewer and electricity.

The venue would also become a site for special events and activities, said Lanterman, including educational programs. Both a site man-

ager that’s certified in law enforcement and a ranger will be stationed at the park. Seasonal rangers, typically tapped from the local community, will also be on hand.

Lanterman has her eye on 100% of the funding coming from $30 million in SPRINT funds, an offshoot of SPARK (Strengthening People and Revitalizing Kansas), which were federal funds distributed to states in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

SPRINT stands for State Park Revitalization and Investment in Notable Tourism. The funds were approved in December. Grant requests opened Tuesday, March 14, making for a small window of opportunity.

“If we can get in, those funds will provide the bulk of the campground work we want to develop here in the next year or two,” said Lanterman, explaining the urgency of the project’s approval. If that bid falls short, Lanterman said she’ll pursue grant funding as she has done for the development of other recreational areas.

The state park system is self-funded through its en-

Artist proposes Iola flag concept

By RICHARD LUKEN The

Iola should have a city flag, local artist Max Grundy says.

Grundy, who purchased Iola’s old Elm Street water tower in 2022 with plans to convert it into a one-of-a-kind Airbnb, spoke Monday with City Council members about his vision for a potential city flag.

He provided 10 or so potential designs he considered representative of Iola.

Most were blue and gold, to represent the “unique partnership” of the Kansas sky and fields of grain. That both also match Iola’s school colors played a role in his thought process, Grundy said.

Some of his designs had stars, a bird and many had geometric shapes like squares to represent Iola’s downtown square. Still another paid homage to the city’s trails.

Grundy also included one sporting an image of what he expects his water tower to look like once it is transformed into an Airbnb.

“The challenge with a flag is it has to be simple and interesting at the same time,” Grundy said, “which is a lot harder than it seems.”

He described many state and city flags as “a hot mess,” usually because they tried to convey too much, and often were designed by committees.

“You have to be able to read

Council OKs brush truck buy

Iola is the new owner of a brush truck that officials say will greatly enhance the city’s ability to fight grass and brush fires.

City Council members approved Monday the purchase of a 2017 Skeeter Ford Commercial 4x4 brush truck for $279,000. Money will come out of the Fire

Department’s capital projects budget. The deal came together rather quickly after Iola Fire Chief Corey Isbell learned of the truck’s availability recently via Brindlee Mountain, a buyer and seller of used fire equipment. Isbell and City Administrator Matt Rehder encouraged the Council to approve

Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks Secretary Brad Loveless speaks in favor Monday of creating a state park out of the LeHigh quarry and trails complex. Loveless and others

School threat results in area man’s arrest

The Allen County Sheriff’s Office investigated an alleged threat against Humboldt Elementary School on Friday.

Allen County Sheriff Bryan Murphy said an investigation led to the arrest of Hayden A. Boring, 28, rural Humboldt, on suspicion of making a criminal threat and possessing drug paraphernalia.

Murphy said there was no actual danger to the school at any time.

Arrest follows car theft

Stacy Johnson, who was renting a car from JW Auto Cars in Iola, told Iola police officers Sunday the car had been stolen.

With the assistance of the St. Joseph, Mo., Police Department, the car was recovered in St. Joseph, and Joseph Wyatt, 38, was arrested for suspected felony theft of a motor vehicle.

Wyatt also was wanted on a warrant out of Missouri, officers said.

Arrest reported

Jessie M. Fugate, 47, was arrested Sunday evening in the 500 block of South Walnut Street for suspected possession of methamphetamine, driving as a habitual violator, no liability insurance, expired tags and possessing drug paraphernalia.

Trailer stolen

A 20-foot black dump trailer was reported stolen from a shed in northern Allen County earlier this month.

Deputies said, along with the trailer valued at $1,300, two game cameras had been taken, and several pieces of machinery had been tampered with and damaged.

Attempted break-in

Deputies were called to a break-in in progress at 909 W. Hickory in Gas on March 6. The area was canvassed and no suspects were located. A break-in at the same residence also was investigated in February.

Bumper bender

Shauna West told a

deputy that she struck the back of a Ford van, driven by Leslie Hillbrant, with her 2011 Chevy Traverse on Madison Avenue while waiting at the Jefferson Avenue stoplight. The van’s rear bumper and right rear corner were damaged in the collision.

Shed fire ‘suspicious’

Iola police officers said a shed fire Monday at 401 N. Kentucky St. appeared to be intentionally set.

Officers noted the same shed had burned in a similar type of fire on Nov. 2.

Anyone with information regarding either incident is encouraged to contact the Iola Police Department.

Disturbance leads to citation

Iola officers responded to a disturbance early Sunday in the 800 block of Wilson Lane. Jacquelyn Mason, 31, Iola, was cited for disorderly conduct.

Officers returned to the residence later in the morning to remove what they believed to be illegal drugs, which were seized and destroyed.

Circumstances surrounding the investigation led to officers refraining from requesting additional charges.

Scooter taken

Christopher Trautloff told police Sunday a scooter was stolen from his residence in the 400 block of North Cottonwood Street. A mirror also was reported broken at the residence. An investigation continues.

Graffiti reported

Debra Lagrande told officers Monday somebody drew graffiti on her vehicle while it was parked at the Townhouse West apartments. There was no permanent damage to the vehicle, officers said.

Disturbance reported

Iola police officers were called to the 1300 block of North State Street Monday because of a disturbance. Following an investiga

Obituaries

Ron Brower

Lillian Smith

Ron Brower

Ronald Lee Brower, 79, of Girard passed away on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at Mercy Hospital in Joplin, Mo. Ron was born on Jan. 20, 1944 in Chanute, the son of LeRoy Brower and Nellie Catharine Bower-Brower. Ron graduated from Moran High School in 1962 and went on to Iola Junior College, graduating in 1964 with an associate of arts degree. Ron married Sharon Kay Boler of Elsmore on Sept. 6, 1964. Ron continued his education at Kansas State College of Pittsburg, now Pittsburg State University, majoring in industrial arts education and minoring in math and driver’s education. Ron graduated in 1967 with a bachelor of science in education, and received a master of science in education degree in 1968.

After graduating, Ron and Kay continued to live in Pittsburg, and he began his career by teaching math at Uniontown Elementary for two years, followed by teaching industrial arts at Carthage Junior High School for six years. In 1976, Ron and Kay purchased Tavella & DePaoli, which soon became the Frisco Shoe Shop. In 1984, they moved their family to Farlington Lake and relocated the shoe shop to Girard where Ron served the community as a respected master of the lost art of shoe repair until his retirement in 2022.

Ron was an avid sports fan, and his passion was supporting his alma mater Pittsburg State in football and basketball, #OAGAAG. Ron also loved spending time with his grandchildren and following all of their activities and high achievements throughout their lives.

Ron will always be remembered as a man who never met a stranger, loved having coffee with his friends and customers, watching golf, playing solitaire, following pop culture, and loving social media. He was also honored to be an organ donor. Ron, affectionately known as “Papa” by many, will be missed greatly by all who knew him.

Ron is survived by his wife Sharon Kay “Katy” of Girard; his daughters, Michele Brower-McFarland of Kansas City, Mo., and Becky Brower-Scimeca and her husband Nick of Nixa, Mo.; five grandchildren, Camden Vance McFarland of Columbus, Miss., (US Air Force), Delaney Jayde McFarland of Lawrence, (University of Kansas), Emily Claire Scimeca of Nixa, Mo., Chase McFarland and his fiancé Beth Keegan of Germany (US Air Force), and Kelci McFarland-Mar and her husband Shaun of Kuna, Idaho; and two great-grandchildren, Amelia and Miles Mar.

Ron was preceded in death by his parents, brother John Thomas Brower, nephew David Michael Brower, and sons-in-law William Dean Clark and John Michael Nauman II.

Per Ron’s wishes, he will be cremated, with no official services scheduled at this time. A celebration of life will be scheduled at a later date. Memorials have been suggested to Pittsburg State Athletics Foundation-Women’s Basketball Program, or to Pittsburg Alcoholics Anonymous Area 25-District 22, and may be left with or mailed to the funeral home. Online condolences may be left at: www.countrysidefh.com.

Services entrusted to Countryside Funeral Home 101 N. Highland, Chanute, KS 66720.

Bruce Gibson

Bruce Wayne Gibson, 68, died Friday, March 10, 2023, at KU Medical Center.

Bruce was born on May 15, 1954, in Chanute, to Elmer Lee and Eleanor Maggie (Grogan) Gibson. He was united in marriage to Jane (Riebel) on Feb. 14, 1992, in Miami, Okla. She survives, as does a son Trevor; and numerous other relatives.

Lillian Mae Clarasis (Howard) Smith, 84, Iola, died Thursday, March 2, 2023, at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis Hospital in Wichita.

Lillian was born Jan. 30, 1939, to the late Charles Howard and Mary Bentley-Howard.

On Aug. 23, 1965, Lillian Howard and Robert Smith were married in Iola.

He preceded her in death.

Lillian is survived by her daughter, Elizabeth Smith, of the home in Wichita; son, Charles Smith of Iola; three grandchildren and several other family and friends.

A celebration of life service will be at 11 a.m. Friday, March 17, at Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 U.S. 54 Iola. Inurnment will follow at Highland Cemetery in Iola.

Memorial contributions are suggested to Ward Chapel A.M.E. Church and can be left in the care of Feuerborn Family Funeral Service.

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

Deborah Barnes

Deborah Lynn Barnes, 67, born on Jan. 5, 1956, in Independence, died on Tuesday, March 7, 2023, at Oak Hill Hospital in Brooksville, Fla.

She graduated from Iola High School in 1975 and married Steven R. Barnes on Dec. 6, 1975. She worked at Iola Public Library for a number of years and retired in 2012.

Deborah Barnes

She was preceded in death by her father, Stanford Pugh, and is survived by her husband, Steve Barnes, Brooksville, Fla.; a daughter Jenny (Seunghwan) Joo, Overland Park; her mother, Marjorie Barnes (née Diffey) and stepfather, Ray Barnes, Iola; two grandchildren, Noel and Amelia Joo, Overland Park; a sister, Sandy (John) Moore, Lawrence; a brother, Stan (Cindy) Pugh, Waverly; as well as several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Cremation has taken place and services will be held at a later date.

Family will greet friends from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 16, Feuerborn Funeral Service Chapel. Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery in Humboldt.

620-365-2111

Memorial contributions are suggested to ACARF and can be left in the care of the unera home.

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

Park: State officials answer queries about Lehigh plans

Continued from A1

trance and camping fees.

Judging by other state parks of similar size, Lanterman said the park should draw 250,000 visitors a year.

In her testimony, Lisse Regehr, CEO of Thrive Allen County, noted that word of the proposed state park has already generated business prospects locating in the area.

“We have already had entrepreneurs visit us at Thrive to share their new business ideas that they believe are now possible with the addition of a state park feeding tourism into our area,” Regehr said.

The expectation that the beginning phase of the park could occur within a year, “is entirely feasible,” said Lanterman. Lanterman used the example of Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park, a 330-acre parcel in western Kansas. The land was formerly owned by an individual, Jim McGuire, who, according to Lanterman, “wanted us to buy it, but we could not.”

Instead, the Nature Conservancy purchased the land with the agreement that the state would operate it as a state park.

“It was a quick turnaround. You strike while the iron’s hot. Today, Little Jerusalem is a crown jewel in our system,” she said.

If the full Legislature approves the measure, House Bill 2331, it would likely be designated a state park the first of July. Thrive will continue to maintain the trails and keep them open in the interim, Regehr said.

If designated a state park, Thrive will work hand-in-hand with the

We understand that there are questions as to why we would donate $2 million worth of property. Iola Industries could sell the property and reinvest that money in housing or in attracting new industries, but we truly believe that long-term, making this a state park will be of more value to the community. We’re very adamant that this is exactly what we want to do with the property.

state on trail maintenance, said Secretary Loveless.

Loveless also noted the economic impact a state park could bring to the immediate area.

“State parks bring in hundreds of millions of dollars each year to the state,” he said. “That’s a real boon especially to our rural areas.”

When asked what Iola Industries would do if legislators failed to approve the measure, Regehr, who is also on the executive board of

Bowlus: Shows

Continued from A1

facility improvements, such as sewer work and a new fire alarm system required by the state. The Bowlus applied for a grant to help pay for the fire alarm work, but it was denied; Kays had to pull $50,000 out of the budget for projects to pay for the expense.

“We’ve got to get this community back to understanding what this venue is and the value of it,” Kays said.

He plans to increase “grassroots efforts” for marketing, such as having booths at the county fair and Farm City Days. Kays expects to spend less on printed promotional products and invest more in digital advertising. He’d like to install a new digital sign in front of the Bowlus to alert passers-by about activities.

The current digital sign was installed in 2009.

“It seems bleak but we’re doing OK. We have reserves,” he said.

KAYS also gave board members a sneak peak at some of the acts he’s working to secure for next year’s season. Negotiations are continuing for some, so he did not want to publicly reveal them.

The coming season, though, will have more of a “tribute” feel, with performers connected to famous musical acts from previous decades. Some acts will come from Branson, Mo. Others will serve a dual purpose with shows planned for both the community and schools.

USD 257 Board Chair Jennifer Taylor, who also serves on the Bowlus commission, asked Kays how the board members and the community can help.

“I need advocacy. I need people to come to shows. I need help pushing the shows,” Kays responded. “Make sure people know about the Bowlus and get them back into the habit of coming here.”

Iola Industries, responded, “We will continue to fight for this. We’ve seen what this property can do for our community.

“We understand that there are questions as to why we would donate $2 million worth of property. Iola Industries could sell the property and reinvest that money in housing or in attracting new industries, but we truly believe that longterm, making this a state park will be of more value to the community.

“We’re very adamant that this is exactly what we want to do with the property,” she said.

The 138-acre lake is the site of an abandoned cement quarry for Lehigh Portland Cement Company, in operation from 1900 to 1970. It has since

filled up with underground spring water. At some points, the water is 40 feet deep.

Iola Industries purchased the site in 1971. Iola Industries is a group of investors formed in 1955. Their primary mission is economic development. Members receive no cash profits or dividends from their investments. Their biggest accomplishments have been to bring Gates Manufacturing and Russell Stover Candies to town. Most recently, they were instrumental in landing Peerless Windows and G&W Foods.

Over the years, attempts have failed to make the lake a public recreation site.

From 1979 to 1982, Iola considered developing it into a fishing lake, but deemed it too big of a responsibility.

Then-Mayor Jack Hastings is quoted as saying, “Everyone here would like to see it become a recreational asset for the community, but there doesn’t seem to be any way that we can handle it. It’s too big for us, but it’s all too good to let die.”

As a way to save the area for future recreational development, Iola Industries began leasing the lake to the local Elks club for $1 a

year. At times, the lease was for five-year increments. For the last several years, it has been in one-year increments.

Over the years, the quarry became known as Elks Lake.

In 2018, Iola Industries approached Allen County officials to purchase the lake for $1.4

Financial Focus

million. Again, the task of making it a success seemed too big a responsibility.

Keeping the ultimate goal of opening the lake to the general public, Iola Industries and Thrive Allen County formulated the proposal of gifting the proper-

See PLAN | Page A4

What Goes Into a Retirement ‘Paycheck’?

During your working years, you generally know how much money you’re bringing in, so you can budget accordingly. But once you’re retired, it’s a different story. However, with some diligence, you can put together a “paycheck” that can help you meet your income needs.

Where will this paycheck come from? Social Security benefits should replace about 40% of one’s pre-retirement earnings, according to the Social Security Administration, but this figure varies widely based on an individual’s circumstances. Typically, the higher your income before you retire, the lower the percentage will be replaced by Social Security. Private pensions have become much rarer in recent decades, though you might receive one if you worked for a government agency or a large company. But in any case, to fill out your retirement paycheck, you may need to draw heavily on your investment portfolio. Your portfolio can provide you with income in these ways:

• Dividends – When you were working, and you didn’t have to depend on your portfolio for income to the extent you will when you’re retired, you may have reinvested the dividends you received from stocks and stock-based mutual funds, increasing the number of shares you own in these investments. And that was a good move, because increased share ownership is a great way to help build wealth. But once you’re retired, you may need to start accepting the dividends to boost your cash flow.

• Interest payments – The interest payments from bonds and other fixed-income investments, such as certificates of deposit (CDs), can also add to your retirement income. In the years immediately preceding their retirement, some investors increase the presence of these interest-paying investments in their portfolio. (But even during retirement, you’ll need some growth potential in your investments to help keep you ahead of inflation.)

• Proceeds from selling investments – While you will likely need to begin selling investments once you’re retired, you’ll need to be careful not to liquidate your portfolio too quickly. How much can you sell each year? The answer depends on several factors — your age, the size of your portfolio, the amount of income you receive from other sources, your spouse’s income, your retirement lifestyle, and so on. A financial professional can help you determine the amount and type of investment sales that are appropriate for your needs while considering the needs of your portfolio over your lifetime.

When tapping into your investments as part of your retirement paycheck, you’ll also want to pay special attention to the amount of cash in your portfolio. It’s a good idea to have enough cash available to cover a year’s worth of your living expenses, even after accounting for other sources of income, such as Social Security or pensions. In addition, you may want to set aside sufficient cash for emergencies. Not only will these cash cushions help you with the cost of living and unexpected costs, but they might also enable you to avoid digging deeper into your long-term investments than you might like. You may be retired for a long time — so take the steps necessary to build a consistent retirement paycheck.

Rep. Gary White, R-Ashland, speaks at a committee hearing in Topeka on a proposal to create Lehigh Portland State Park. Others partaking in the discussion are, from left, Reps. Walter Roth, Fred Gardner and Jim Minnix. At right, Linda Lanterman, state parks director with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, speaks in favor of the plan. REGISTER/SUSAN LYNN

— Lisse Regehr, Iola Industries board member

Plan: Committee endorses Lehigh Portland park proposal

trails.

“I like that term,” Regehr said. “It encapsulates everything Iola Industries has done since 1955: We have been self-serving in our generosity to see that the community we love grows and thrives.”

Six months ago, Elks Club members were notified that the lease would not be renewed. Rep. Fred Gardner’s, R-Garnett, introduction of the measure on Feb. 16 was the first official news of the plan.

On Monday, Rep. Gardner once again recommended to committee members they approve the measure, House Bill 2331.

THE TWO-HOUR hearing included presentations by those opposed to the park’s development.

While Arlyn Briggs, rural Kincaid, said he “applauded Iola Industries’ gift to the state,” he termed the site “a liability,” in terms of abandoned structures as well as encouraging drug traffickers.

“We’ve got large numbers of drug abuse cases in that area. You’ll be opening a whole new area for problems,” Briggs said. Ryan Sigg spoke to legislators via video from Iola. Sigg has managed the property used by the Elks for the past three years.

“I’m not going to say

I’m opposed to this project,” he said. In fact, “I’ll probably be the first one out there fishing.”

Sigg’s complaint centered on what he deemed a lack of transparency by Iola Industries in wanting to give its land to the state to create a state park.

“There’s been very minimal information published in our local community regarding this,” he said. Sigg also questioned the process of Iola Industries and Thrive partnering to develop the 200 acres of rail trails surrounding the lake by obtaining grants.

Lawsuit filed against SVB parent

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN The Associated Press

A class action lawsuit is being filed against the parent company of Silicon Valley Bank, its CEO and its chief financial officer, saying that company didn’t disclose the risks that future interest rate increases would have on its business.

The lawsuit against SVB Financial Group, CEO Greg Becker and CFO Daniel Beck was filed in the U.S. district court for the Northern district of California. It is looking for unspecified damages to be awarded to those who

invested in SVB between June 16, 2021 and March 10, 2023.

The lawsuit from shareholders led by Chandra Vanipenta says some quarterly and annual financial reports from SVB didn’t fully account for warnings from the Federal Reserve about interest rate hikes.

In particular, the lawsuit said that annual reports for 2020 through 2022, “understated the risks posed to the company by not disclosing that likely interest rate hikes, as outlined by the Fed, had the potential to cause irrevocable damage to the company,” the

lawsuit stated. It also claims that the company “failed to disclose that, if its investments were negatively affected by rising interest rates, it was particularly susceptible to a bank run.”

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank has shaken the technology industry and worried small businesses and individuals with deposits at the financial institution. The Biden administration’s move guaranteeing all Silicon Valley Bank’s deposits above the insured limit of $250,000 per account has brought relief to some.

“I’m not sure how that actually works, but I’m sure there’s a lot of other private corporations that would enjoy some sort of benefit similar to that,” he said.

Since 2014, Iola Industries has partnered with Thrive to develop a walking and biking trail system around the quarry and nearby. The partnership is essential because as a for-profit entity, Iola Industries cannot attract federal or state grants to fund the development of the

In the past nine years, more than $1 million has been invested in the trails’ development and maintenance. The trails surrounding the lake attract an estimated 80,000 visitors a year. Sigg urged legislators to “put the brakes on this until the public has a chance to speak out.”

“I think the community might be a little more accepting of this if there was some more knowledge about what we can expect and maybe study this a little better to make sure that we don’t have something happen here that takes away from an amazing piece of water.

“This body of water is very beautiful, and I hope it continues to stay that way,” Sigg said. Sigg noted the former campground accommodated 36 campsites and had access to electricity, but “we did not have any water or sewage out there whatsoever.”

MIKE JEWELL, also a member of the Iola Elks, spoke with committee members over the phone.

Jewell maintained that the club’s longterm lease of the lake had created a sense of ownership.

“We’ve had possession of it for 41 years,” he said. “If you look on any map, you’ll see it is called Elks Lake.”

“There’s a lot of anger over this project in the way it was done,” he said. “We were told that if we didn’t go peaceably, that they would sell the parcel to others, and we would never get it back.”

Jewell ventured turning the site into a state park, “could be a good thing. I’ve gotten some information by listening to this report today and I feel a lot better about it.”

“I trust you guys will do the best that you can do when you vote, which I’m not saying I wouldn’t do.”

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks has developed a concept plan for what would become Lehigh Portland State Park if lawmakers approve. KDWP

Iolan Ryan Sigg, center, spoke with Kansas legislators via video. Sigg urged lawmakers to take their time in deciding whether to designate the quarry and trails as a state park. REGISTER/SUSAN LYNN YOUTUBE SCREEN CAPTURE

Small country sends outsized rebuke to Russia

Perhaps no nation has rallied behind Ukraine as much as Estonia, where Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has been resolute on the need to defeat Russian forces — and the power of imperialism unleashed by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

This leadership has come at a cost. Estonia is suffering from war-induced inflation, and the small Baltic country is the most significant contributor to Ukraine based on GDP, donating about 44% of its military budget.

The support was expected to cost Kallas in last week’s national election as populist politicians ran on reining in or even ending Ukrainian aid. But Estonian voters held their ground and gave Kallas’ center-right Reform Party more of the vote than in the last election, meaning the prime minister will return to lead a governing coalition.

Estonia has been “at the forefront to support Ukraine in any dimension,” Marie Jourdain, a visiting fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Europe Center, told an editorial writer. Jourdain, a former French Ministry of Defense staffer, added that Eastern European nations have “an appreciation about how existential this is.” She also noted that Kallas’ stance was a signal not just to Estonians but also to Europeans and Americans.

But recent polls suggest American and even European alacrity is lessening, jeopardizing Ukraine, which depends on allied arms and aid to prevail. The slippage of

support in the U.S. is increasingly partisan, reflecting the political splits manifest on so many other issues.

In a December poll from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, for instance, there is a 21-percentage-point gap between Democrats and Republicans on “sending additional arms and military supplies to the Ukrainian government” (favored by 76% of Democrats but only 55% of Republicans). An even wider divide appears on “providing economic assistance to Ukraine,” with 81% of Democrats in favor compared with only half of Republicans.

January data from the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research reports that while overall support is softer than last May, similar partisan differences are intensifying over time: 63% of Democrats are in favor of “providing weapons to Ukraine” (down from 71% in May) compared to only 39% of Republicans in favor (down from 53% in May). Regarding “sending government funds directly to Ukraine,” Democrats are again more resolute than Republicans, with 59% in favor (down slightly from 63% in May) compared with only 21% of Republicans (down

Southwest Kansas left out of university system

We have often wondered why there is no state college in southwest Kansas, since there is one in every other quadrant of the state.

Of course, the locations of our state universities (hardly anyone goes to a “college” anymore) were not according to any plan. Their genesis depended as much on local support and effort as anything.

The story begins in 1863 when the Kansas State College of Agriculture and Applied Science formed in Manhattan as the nation’s first land-grant college. The University of Kansas came along three years later, and the state was set to grow two great universities. Both would be served by the state’s first rail line and near the population centers of the state’s northeast.

Next added were the three former teachers’ colleges in Emporia, Pittsburg and Hays, which would grow to the status of state universities. As their names implied, all three focused at first on the need for teachers trained for public schools.

Lastly, in the 20th century, the state Board of Regents acquired the two municipal universities, Washburn in Topeka and Wichita State, when those cities could not afford to keep

them. They sought state aid, but eventually were taken over.

None would exist, though, without the local backers who pushed to found and grow them, and their locations depended more on effort and chance than anything. Hays people, for instance, wanted a college, then persuaded the federal government to donate the reservation of abandoned Fort Hays and the Legislature to lend support.

In those early days, few towns in western Kansas could have supported a four-year college, and to this day, Fort Hays takes its role as the university of northwest Kansas seriously, though the campus is only about 50 miles or so northwest of the very center of the state.

We suppose Fort Hays would claim the southwest as part of its territory as well, but it can be a long ways out there. It’s about a threehour drive from Hays to Liberal (and nearly as far from Hays to St. Francis). A state college in Garden City or Dodge would not only serve the southwest, but be closer to much of the far northwest. It would require great effort to push for either a new university or a branch of an existing college, however. The Legislature hasn’t been funding new colleges lately, and they are not

inexpensive. The entire west is well served by two-year institutions, two in the northwest in Colby Community College and Northwest Kansas Technical College of Goodland. The southwest has three, in Garden City, Dodge City and Liberal (Seward County), four if you count Pratt, which is east of Hays and just barely in the west.

Dodge City had a four-year college through much of the last century in St. Mary of the Plains, which closed in 1992, for lack of an endowment to see it through tough times. The entire population of the west might not justify a four-year institution at all, but it can be a long ways to an education from here.

Few in eastern Kansas realize how remote we really are, as highlighted by our governor, who asked people here if we had gone to our nearby Walgreens for our Covid shots. That’s only a twoto-three-hour drive for many of us.

All this is merely idle speculation, since the effort required would be great and the obstacles many. But there are times to dream great dreams. The country is growing, and we will grow again someday.

Until then, we will have to continue depending on the institutions we have. — Oberlin Herald

from 28% in May). These and other data show that when the initial APNORC poll was taken, “partisan positions on the issue were not as clearly staked out,” Jennifer Benz, the APNORC Center deputy director for public affairs research, told an editorial writer. She added that one key factor was Rep. Kevin McCarthy making “controlling spending on Ukraine a key point in his campaign for House speaker.”

The partisan gaps are “more being driven by our domestic discourse” than an assessment of the war itself, Emily Sullivan, a research assistant on public opinion and foreign policy for the Chicago Council, told an editorial writer. She pointed to an assessment on the state of the war that found 27% of Republicans believe “Russia has the advantage,” compared with 23% of Democrats. In comparison, 23% of Republicans believe “Ukraine has the advantage,” while 32% of Democrats do (overall, 48% of Republicans and 44% of Democrats believe “neither side has the advantage”).

GOP support, Sullivan added, “got tied up in conversations” about inflation (data also apparent in the AP-NORC poll). And rising costs across the pond are also pounding down support for Ukraine in some European countries, according to an Economist/YouGov poll.

The Chicago Council poll shows that growing partisan separation means more Republicans favor urging

Ukraine “to settle for peace as soon as possible so that the costs aren’t so great for American households” (63% of Republicans favor this view compared with 36% of Democrats). Conversely, 61% of Democrats but only 33% of Republicans support “for as long as it takes, even if American households have to pay higher” consumer prices.

BUT REWARDING Russian revanchism would only invite more of it and could send an incentivizing signal to China, which would ultimately be far more economically, militarily and geopolitically costly.

Kallas advocates “that Russia needs to go through a strategic defeat and renounce imperialistic ends because [Putin] would not stop in Ukraine,” Jourdain said. “The legitimacy she gained and the fact that the whole [Estonian] population, which is suffering a lot from the consequences of the war … still decided to go on for Ukraine because it’s more important” gives a “big message” to the West about what it takes “to actually live up to your values and to the survival of your own identity and your country and the future of the European Union and NATO.”

This “big message” shouldn’t be heard and heeded unequally based on party identification but supported because of longstanding values previously embraced by Americans of all political persuasions.

Speaker McCarthy must OK raising the budget ceiling

President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for the federal fiscal year that starts on Oct. 1 would spend $6.8 trillion off revenues of only $5 trillion in taxes collected. The imbalance, a $1.8 trillion deficit, would get added to the national debt of $31.4 trillion that has been building since 1789. That’s how it’s always worked and the full faith and credit of the United States allows Congress to borrow to keep the federal government running.

The problem is that since Jan. 19 of this year, the U.S. Treasury has been at the legal limit of debt it can issue. The $31.4 trillion was capped 13 months earlier, on Dec. 16, 2021, when the limit was raised by $2.5 trillion. Normally, the Congress would agree to boost the maximum allowable borrowing, something it has always done since the debt ceiling was first implemented in 1917.

BUT THIS Congress, and we mean a hard-right chunk of House Republicans under Speaker Kevin McCarthy, refuses to raise the ceiling unless they get Biden and the Democrats to cut some of their fa-

vored programs, a naked political demand thrown into a situation that should be above partisanship.

While the ceiling has already been hit, the Treasury can do some maneuvering with spending for a few months, but by summer those stalling options will be exhausted and the ceiling will have to be increased.

At the same, next year’s budget will be being fought over, as the Constitution requires that “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives.” Social Security, Medicare, defense will all be debated, along with Biden’s plans that he laid out in his budget speech last week. That he presented his budget in Philly in the Electoral College battleground state of Pennsylvania means that the 2024 presidential campaign is gearing up, with Biden preparing to take on Donald Trump and whoever challenges Trump in the GOP. What can’t get lost in the budget struggle and the campaign is the debt ceiling. McCarthy’s duty is clear. He must carry it out. — New York Daily News

— Minneapolis Star-Tribune

A Look

Back in Time

60 Years Ago March 1963

Approximately 250 coaches and their students from 15 schools of the area participated in the third annual Iola Invitational Forensic Festival at Iola High School on Saturday. IHS student Kathy Thompson was master of ceremonies for the event. George Mastick, Iola’s coach of speech and drama, acted as host of the tournament.

*****

A group of Iola boys demonstrated Saturday that President John F. Kennedy’s marathon challenge is not too tough. They covered 50 miles in 19 hours and 5 minutes total elapsed time, or 55 minutes less than the president’s suggestion. Led by Duane Baugher, mathematics instructor in the junior high, Ronnie Scott, Mike McCrate, Gregg Kretzmeier, Harker Russell Jr., Gary Wells and Larry Pershall left the Christian Church at 2 a.m. Saturday. They followed the route of old U.S. 54 on a 25mile route to a point between Bronson and Uniontown. After a brief rest they retraced the route.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas speaks after the results of e-votes were announced, on March 5, in Tallinn, Estonia.

(RAIGO PAJULA/AFP/GETTY IMAGES/TNS)

Iola: Local artist presents city flag proposals to Council

Continued from A1

it from a great distance, and be able to convey information, but it can’t be too busy,” Grundy said.

Grundy noted both Wichita and El Dorado have introduced city flags to great fanfare in recent years, because of their distinct, yet simplistic designs.

“I just want to see what your thoughts are,” he told Council members.

Grundy spoke a bit about what made Iola unique in his eyes.

As a relative newcomer to the Sunflower State — he grew up in Salt Lake City before moving to Los Angeles for much of his adulthood before migrating to Iola about two years ago — Grundy said part of Kansas’s beauty is the unique partnership the terrain carries with the sky.

“From where I’m

from, you have giant mountains and a metropolis below,” Grundy said, “and you see the sky a little bit. In Kansas, the sky has an equal opinion as the ground does. In a lot of ways that struck me, the ground and the sky are in almost equal proportions.”

Council members were receptive to his proposals, and promised to consider which designs they favored.

Truck: City OK’s purchase

Continued from A1

And because of nationwide supply chain issues, it would likely be at least two years before a new truck could be purchased, equipped and put in service.

The purchase carried an extra sense of urgency because the two trucks the city uses are not designed for brush and grass fires, Isbell noted.

Unit 312, a 1989 GMC,

was taken out of service last year because it failed a pump test, leaving only Unit 315, a halfton pickup equipped with a smaller pump insufficient for “big brush fires,” Isbell said.

“That’s why I’m coming to you with this today.”

Moreso, simply repairing the pump on the older truck is still problematic, because it’s a two-wheel drive vehicle, Isbell continued.

“Take a two-wheel drive out into the mud, you’re gonna get stuck,” he said. “That’s exactly what happened with 312 multiple times. We’ve about burned it to the ground multiple times because it got stuck.”

Councilman Carl Slaugh cast the lone dissenting vote against the purchase, because buying now would run afoul of the city’s purchasing policy, which requires the city to seek bids for such a costly purchase

“My big concern is we have no perspective or comparisons with what a new brush truck with the same capabilities as this one would cost,” Slaugh said.

Mayor Steve French said Iola would be wise to eschew the policy this time because of the aforementioned supply line shortages and higher costs to buy new.

“It seems to be the new way of doing business when it comes to new vehicle purchases,” French said. “It curries a trickle effect to our industrial policy. I realize we have a purchasing policy.”

“It’s a policy, and we ought to follow it,” Slaugh replied.

“We have two vehicles that don’t serve the purposes of this brush truck,” French countered.

“We’ve been using Unit 312 for a long time,” Slaugh said. “It could be repaired just like anything else.”

“Personally, I don’t want to put gentlemen and women in a vehicle that doesn’t pass inspection,” French said.

Councilwoman Joelle Shallah cut their back-and-forth with a motion to approve the purchase, which carried with a 6-1 vote, Slaugh opposed. Councilman Joel Wicoff was absent.

IN OTHER business, the Council renewed its property, vehicle and workman’s compensation insurance premiums through EMC Insurance for 2023-24 at a cost of $551,113, an increase of about $55,000 from last year. The higher rates

are largely attributed to increased building values and commercial output values, noted Deb Taiclet of Iola Insurance Associates, which administers the plan.

“You’re looking at about a $14 million increase in values,” Taiclet said.

That number is likely to be lower, because

EMC returns unused funds at year’s end. In 2022, the city received a $77,828.23 dividend check.

COUNCIL members also approved a resolution that will allow the city to finance an anticipated $13 million rebuild of U.S. 54 through town within the next few years by utilizing sales tax revenue.

The bonds won’t be sold until the roadwork design is completed, which isn’t expected for another year at least.

Nevertheless, approval is prudent now as the next step in the process, noted bond counsel Garth Herrmann of Gilmore & Bell, a public finance law firm based in Kansas City, Mo.

Iolan Max Grundy has several ideas for an official City of Iola flag. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Sports Daily B

Beckmon critical to Lancers’ reboot

COLONY — Crest High’s girls basketball team made a jump from only winning two games last year to winning 10 games this season, a remarkably quick turnaround.

A large portion of that success has been freshman Aylee Beckmon who served as Crest’s starting point guard. Beckmon was a newcomer to the team and was also accompanied by first-year head coach Steve Zimmerman.

Beckmon’s older sister, senior Haylee Beckmon, was also on the team. Aylee said she was able to learn a lot from Haylee and looked up to her as a role model. The sisters have a similar style of play. They crash hard to the basket, possess good passing skills and deliver tough onball defensive pressure.

The Lady Lancer was most content with how the entire season panned out and advancing to the second round of the substate playoffs. Even though she wasn’t a part of last year’s team, Beckmon knew the new coach’s mentality would be different.

“I was really happy with it. I thought a new coach coming in was great because we’ve known him (Steve Zimmerman) for a while and I knew he would help me a lot,” said Beckmon.

“Coach puts his time in for everything,” Beckmon continued. “He watches film and comes up with perfect plays. He takes so much time out of his day to help the team.”

Aylee grew up playing basketball alongside her older sisters, Haylee and Rylee, and their dad who enjoys guiding the girls on the court. Their chemistry on the court is easy to detect. “Haylee was one of our higher scorers. She constantly had post moves and would somehow make crazy shots. She gives it her all,” Beckmon said. “I was really happy I got to play for at least one year with her.”

Getting to play together as friends is one

See LADY | Page B4

Local athletes take All-League

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

A number of local high school basketball players earned All-League honors from their respective leagues following the season.

One Iola girl was represented in the Pioneer League honors, 10 players were honored in the Three Rivers League, five in the Tri-Valley League and two girls were honored in the Lyon County League.

Mustang Aysha Houk took Pioneer League Second Team All-League for her work on the court in her senior season.

Houk enjoyed a stellar sea-

son bringing the ball upcourt for Iola as the team’s point guard and was the team’s leading scorer all year. One of Houk’s best performances of the season was when she scored 23 points in a victory over Wellsville on Friday, Jan.

13.

Crest’s Ryan Golden, Stetson Setter and Karter Miller, Marmaton Valley’s Brayden Lawson and Dylan Drake and Yates Center’s Cash Cummings and Emmett George each took Three Rivers League honors on the boys side.

Golden earned First Team All-League and was the Lancers’ go-to scoring threat in

the paint. Setter also took First Team honors and was an energizer for Crest when they needed it most, making hard drives to the basket and creating open shots for his teammates.

Miller took Second Team All-League and was one of Crest’s main senior leaders, especially in playoff wins over Oswego and Madison. Lawson earned Second Team All-League for his play and was a deadly rebounder and tough obstacle to get around near the basket.

Drake took Second Team All-League for his Marmaton Valley team while Cummings and George were named

Honorable Mention AllLeague players for Yates Center. Cummings and George served as the bright spot on a Wildcat team which experienced more lows than highs.

The Three Rivers League girls were represented by Marmaton Valley’s Janae Granere and Payton Scharff and Crest’s Kayla Hermreck.

Granere earned First Team All-League and was one of Marmaton Valley’s lead scorers and was named All-Tournament First Team for her play in the midseason War on 54 Tournament. She has also accepted an offer to play for Team USA in Spain this summer. Scharff earned Second Team All-League while Hermreck took First Team All-League as both helped their teams have successful seasons and advance to the second round of their substate playoff tournament.

Humboldt’s Trey Sommer earned First Team All-League in the Tri-Valley while Cubs Sam Hull and Colden Cook and Lady Cub Carsyn Haviland earned All-League Second Team. Karley Wools earned an All-League Honorable Mention. Between Sommer, Hull and Cook, the trio were just enough to lead the Cubs to a Class 3A substate championship game appearance. Haviland and Wools were the only seniors for the Lady Cubs.

In the Lyon County League, Southern Coffey County’s Josie Weers earned All-League First Team while teammate Jalea True earned an All-League Honorable Mention. Weers capped her senior season by reaching a milestone 1,000 career points as a Lady Titan.

Mathes strives to go out as champion

HUMBOLDT — Humboldt sophomore Cole Mathes earned his second straight trip to the Class 3A state wrestling championship last month. Mathes fared even better in this year’s tournament, claiming a fifth place spot in

the 165-pound weight class. His success has been indicative of the time Mathes puts into the sport. Mathes paved his way to the Class 3A state championship at the 3-2-1A Regional D Tournament in Sabetha where he secured wins in

three straight matchups before falling in the first place match.

“It felt really good to make it two years in a row. It wasn’t just luck,” said Mathes. “Putting in the work in practice and the coaches helping me made me feel pretty good get-

ting back there. Coach Kent (Goodner) and Ron (Shomaker) helped a lot. They make practice fun.”

“They help you get to that next level,” Mathes added. Mathes may enjoy wrestling for the sole fact that it helps with his mobility, balance and mindset on the football field as well. All three of these skills take time to harness.

Wrestling certainly lifts Mathes’ mental game when he’s in a situation where he has to figure out maneuvers that will take down his opponent.

Wrestling under the bright lights and in front of a crowd at the state meet also takes

Iola’s Aysha Houk (1) goes for a layup at Santa Fe Trail. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

The

USD

Maine

lobster industry files lawsuit over ‘do-no-eat’ listing

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A coalition representing the Maine lobster industry is suing an aquarium on the other side of the country for recommending that seafood customers avoid buying a variety of lobster mostly harvested in their state. Industry groups including Maine Lobstermen’s Association are suing the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California for defamation, arguing in a lawsuit filed Monday that their prized catch shouldn’t be on a “red list” published by Seafood Watch, a conservation program it operates.

Last year, Seafood Watch put lobster from the U.S. and Canada on its list of seafood to avoid due to the threat posed to rare whales by entanglement in fishing gear used to harvest American lobster, the species that makes up most of the U.S. lobster market.

Endangered North American right whales

number only about 340 and they’ve declined in recent years.

But the lobster industry is arguing to the U.S. District Court in Maine that the aquarium’s recommendation relies on bad science and incorrectly portrays lobster fishing as a threat to the whales. The lawsuit asks the court to force the aquarium to remove “defamatory statements” from its website and materials, court records state.

“This is a significant lawsuit that will help eradicate the damage done by folks who have no clue about the care taken by lobstermen to protect the ecosystem and the ocean,” said John Petersdorf, chief executive officer of Bean Maine Lobster Inc., one of the plaintiffs in the lawsuit, in a statement.

The aquarium says its recommendations are correct based on the best available evidence. It says right whales are indeed vulnerable to entanglement in fishing

gear.

The lawsuit ignores “the extensive evidence that these fisheries pose a serious risk to the survival of the endangered North Atlantic right whale, and they seek to curtail the First Amendment rights of a beloved institution that educates the public about the importance of a healthy ocean,” said Kevin Connor, a spokesperson for the aquarium.

Another group, Marine Stewardship Council, last year suspended a sustainability certification it awarded Maine’s lobster industry over concerns about harm to whales. The loss of sustainability recommendations has caused some retailers to stop selling lobster.

The U.S. lobster industry is based mostly in Maine. The industry brought about 98 million pounds of lobster to the docks last year. That was less than the previous year, but historically a fairly high number.

By AARON BEARD The Associated Press

Purdue’s Zach Edey and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis have given the Big Ten Conference a third straight year with multiple first-team Associated Press All-America picks, while Kansas had a second straight first-teamer in Jalen Wilson.

The 7-foot-4, 305-pound Edey appeared on all 58 ballots as a first-team selection from AP Top 25 voters as the lone unanimous pick in results released Tuesday.

The selections of the Boilermakers’ Edey and the Hoosiers’ Jackson-Davis came a year after the Big Ten had three first-team picks. And it gave the league seven through the last three seasons; no other league has more than three.

The Big Ten has had at least one first-teamer for five straight years and eight of the last nine.

Houston’s Marcus Sasser and Alabama’s Brandon Miller joined Edey and Wilson on the first team in representing each of the NCAA Tournament’s No. 1 seeds.

Edey has commanded the national spotlight all year. The Big Ten player of the year ranks sixth nationally in scoring (22.3), second in rebounding (12.8) and first in double-doubles (26).

“Everybody goes: ‘You go to him so much,’” Purdue coach Matt Painter

said after the Big Ten Tournament title win against Penn State. “If they call it by the rules, they’re fouling him on every possession. So why shouldn’t we get it to him and just try to get in that bonus early and steal points?

“Obviously he can make tough post-ups and he can get at the rim, and he gets offensive rebounds when you take him away.”

Jackson-Davis, a 6-9 fourth-year forward, is Indiana’s first first-team selection since Victor Oladipo in 2013. He’s averaging 20.8 points and 10.9 rebounds while taking a leap with his passing (4.1 assists, up from 1.9 last year).

“I probably have pushed him harder than any player on this team and I know there’s been days that he’s walked out

of here thinking that, ‘Hey, is this guy really in my corner, based on how he’s pushing me?’” coach Mike Woodson said. “But at the end of the day, he’s gotten better as a player.

“We have benefited from it, you know, with our ballclub, in terms of how we played as a team. And he’s been the driving force behind it.”

Wilson, a 6-8 fourthyear forward, was a returning complementary starter from last year’s NCAA title run. He thrived in an expanded role, becoming Big 12 player of the year and nearly doubling his scoring average (20.1, up from 11.1) to go with 8.4 rebounds.

It marked the fourth time in seven seasons that the Jayhawks had a first-team pick going back to national player of the year Frank Mason III

Crest’s Aylee Beckmon (5) against Marmaton

Lady: Lancer Beckmon valuable

Continued from B1

thing but lining up next to a sibling on the court raises the experience to a whole new level, she said.

Beckmon recalled a couple games from this past season. In a home battle against Northeast-Arma, the freshman hit a free throw to seal a 42-41 nailbiter victory. She also finished with a team-high nine points and played relentless defense to propel Crest.

“In the first half it was pretty rough and our team wasn’t doing the absolute greatest but then after halftime we brought it out,” said Beckmon. “Somehow we got the points up and it was obviously

really nerve-wracking, especially shooting the last two free throws.”

Another win which meant a lot to the Lady Lancers was a playoff game against Marmaton Valley, a team Crest lost to twice in the regular season. Each of the first two losses against the Wildcats were single-digit blows. In the third match-up, the

Lady Lancers won 2923. “Beating Marmaton Valley in the playoffs was the best,” said Beckmon. “Some of us had one goal this year which was to beat Moran. We knew we were going to play them twice but we lost twice in the regular season. When we beat them, it was awesome.”

in 2017.

“He’s an elite competitor,” Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger said after a Big 12 Tournament loss to the Jayhawks. “He gets to the glass. He makes cuts. He makes it hard. He does so many things.”

Sasser, a 6-2 senior, was a starter on the Cougars’ Final Four team two years ago and is the star of another title threat this year. He’s averaging 17.1 points as the program’s first first-team selection since Hakeem

Olajuwon in 1984 during the “Phi Slama Jama” era.

Miller, a 6-9 freshman, was a McDonald’s All-American who became an immediate star on the way to being named the Southeastern Conference player of the year. He’s averaging 19.6 points and 8.3 rebounds for the tournament’s No. 1 overall seed.

Miller has been involved in a murder case that has overshadowed the Crimson Tide’s successful run, leading to capital murder charges against former Alabama player Darius Miles and another man for the January shooting death of 23-year-old Jamea Harris. A police investigator testified last month that Miles texted Miller to bring him his gun that night, though authorities haven’t charged Miller with any crime.

SECOND TEAM

Pac-12 player of the year Jaime Jaquez Jr. of UCLA was the leading vote-getter on the second team that included Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe, last season’s AP national player of the year.

Gonzaga’s Drew Timme was a sec-

ond-team selection for the third straight year, while Arizona’s Azuolas Tubelis and Penn State’s Jalen Pickett rounded out the second quintet.

THIRD TEAM

Kansas State’s surge led to the Wildcats earning third-team selections in Markquis Nowell and Keyontae Johnson, their first AP All-Americans since Jacob Pullen in 2011.

Big East player of the year Tyler Kolek of Marquette, Iowa’s Kris Murray and North Carolina’s Armando Bacot rounded out the third team.

HONORABLE MENTION

Cub: Mathes a proven wrestler

Continued from B1

National scoring leader Antoine Davis of Detroit Mercy, who averaged 28.2 points and fell three points shy of tying “Pistol” Pete Maravich’s all-time career scoring record, was the leading vote-getter among players who didn’t make the three All-America teams. Players earned honorable-mention status if they appeared on multiple voters’ ballots. This year’s list includes Memphis’ Kendric Davis, Xavier’s Souley Boum and Miami’s Isaiah Wong. composure.

“It’s a big venue and there’s a lot of pressure on you,” Mathes said. “But when you get out there you’ve just got to get in the zone in and remember it’s just another wrestling tournament. Everybody’s tough there. You don’t get any warm-up matches, so you have to work hard every single

match.”

Mathes said he is focused on bringing home a state championship title. “I think I have the ability to be a two-time state champion my junior and senior years. I want to bring Humboldt its first state championship,” said Mathes. “I’ve learned you have to keep your composure and just keep going.”

Mathes said he values and is fueled by the support of his coaches, teammates and community.

“Humboldt has been very supportive,” Mathes said. “All the parents and students are always there to support the athletes. It’s a great system, everybody enjoys it.” Mathes has moved on to playing baseball this spring.

Kansas junior guard Jalen Wilson, left, drives to the

Will her married man leave his wife?

Dear Carolyn: My boyfriend is married to another woman. You can’t imagine the scolding I’ve endured from my close friends over this. Some of it is beginning to sink in, and I’m doubting whether he will ever end his marriage for me. In your opinion, if I am deeply in love with this man, is it worth the wait? In other words, do you believe the philosophy that he will cheat on me, too, because he’s cheating on her? — Philadelphia Philadelphia: Those are two separate questions: Should you wait, and, if he ever becomes eligible, should you trust him?

The first is the easiest call you’ll ever have to make: No. You don’t “wait.” You move on with your life.

For one thing, you don’t want him to end his marriage “for me.” You want him to end it only if, and only when, it’s the right outcome for that marriage. Being the reason a marriage ends might look purty in a novel, but in real life it means you took someone else’s candy just because you wanted it. Not exactly epitaph material.

And no, “The marriage was already in trouble” doesn’t count, not if you’re there to help it collapse.

Meanwhile, when you “wait,” you fall for another bit of fiction. Continuing to see him is not the only way to keep him, stay in love or whatever else you hope to accomplish. In this case, the reverse is true: If you love him and love yourself, then you will walk away. No calls, texts — nothing. That’s because a love worth your attention not only will survive the wait for better circumstances, but also deserves better circumstances. If it isn’t and doesn’t, it won’t.

Of course, decisions can be easy to make and hell to execute. You’ll

CRYPTOQUOTES

U J G F T X K C K O O

N K J F V P G E K B P V

C U E F D , T J F

V P G X C K O O R G

D K S A O G . — I T H W

W G E U Z T H

Yesterday’s Cryptoquote: We love because it’s the only true adventure. — Nikki Giovanni

feel devastated, you’ll have cravings, you’ll jump when your phone rings, you’ll be terrified that the secrecy was the substance, that you’ll feel like a fool.

However, whenever your resolve weakens, remind yourself that your show of strength will help answer the trickier question (assuming he becomes available and you still want him): Should you trust him?

Why people cheat and whether they’ll cheat again are case-by-case questions. Right now, by being available to him on the side, you’re enabling the worst case: that he feels entitled to something on the side. If you’re available to him only when he’s available to you, then you starve the worst case of its oxygen, at least for now. Choose best case or nothing at all.

Dear Carolyn: I check my husband’s email without his knowing it and I don’t know why I do it. I’m not suspicious of anything, I guess I’m just curious. What do

you think this means? — Snooper

Snooper: It means either that you care more about your curiosity than you do your husband’s privacy (or your integrity, for that matter) — or you’re lying to yourself about the depth of your insecurity. Stop looking. Have some decency.

If you can’t stop or just don’t, then please take a hard look at what’s going on — including your own motives, your own possibly guilty conscience, any history of compulsive behavior, and any behavior on your husband’s part that would justify spousal suspicion.

Not that justified suspicion would justify snooping; it wouldn’t. However, if it turns out you do have grounds to question his behavior, then facing that would allow you to deal with the problem in a more honest and transparent way.

Dear Carolyn: My eldest niece has been accepted to a prestigious design school. Her mom is ecstatic and so am I. I helped her prepare a portfolio, take the SATs and apply to schools.

Tuition will cost her well over $100,000. Since I am a practical person still paying loans

15 years after graduating, I have advised her to consider studying in state. Her mom called me enraged that I would “discourage her daughter from pursuing her dreams.” When I pointed out that it’s not realistic to take on that kind of debt, she said, “We are more than capable” of paying for college and that she would appreciate if I kept my ideas to myself.

I just don’t want to see my nieces burdened down with debt. No one explained debt to me at that age. Am I out of line?

— Overbearing Auntie?

Overbearing Auntie?: Way. Even if the family can’t pay the tab, your being right doesn’t make it okay to keep pressing your point after you’ve been told, quite explicitly, that your opinion isn’t welcome. Because of your close relationship, you had a right to warn your niece about debt. Once. When that raised hackles, the right thing to do was apologize for overstepping — and thereafter bite your tongue.

Cathryn

R.

Fax

Email:

ZITS

by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne

BLONDIE

by Young and Drake

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong

HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

MUTTS by Patrick McDonell

VASQUEZ

WBC’s pitching looms large

PHOENIX (AP) — Mark DeRosa said last week that one of his most important jobs as United States manager during the World Baseball Classic is making sure his players understand the tournament is a competition, not an exhibition.

Just two games in, he sort of undercut his own message.

“Obviously, I want nothing more (than) for these guys to repeat as champions and hold up the trophy,” DeRosa said following Sunday’s 11-5 loss to Mexico. “But I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize these guys’ big league careers.”

Those two sentences are a good encapsulation of what makes the WBC such an intriguing, but frustrating endeavor.

Sure, it’s cool to have an Olympics-style tournament in baseball. But no matter how much players and coaches say they want to win, there are limits to that competitiveness.

Lots of limits, actually. Particularly when it comes to pitching.

DeRosa’s comments came in the aftermath of a U.S. pitching meltdown against Mexico. Brady Singer and Daniel Bard both got hit hard and struggled with their command. In a normal, competitive setting, DeRosa probably would have pulled each pitcher before the damage could get worse.

But the U.S. manager’s hands were tied. The tournament’s rules — along with directives from MLB clubs — make pitching decisions the toughest part of the job for all skippers in the WBC.

Pitchers for all countries are limited to 65 pitches per outing in

the first round. If a player throws more than 50 pitches in an outing, he can’t pitch for the next four days. If he throws more than 30, he can’t pitch the next day. Finally, if he throws on backto-back days, he must sit out the next day.

And that’s just the official rules of the WBC.

Major League Baseball teams — who are allowing their high-priced pitchers to play in the tournament while risking injury — often have even tighter requests of managers.

Some MLB teams don’t want their pitchers throwing on back-toback days. Others don’t want them to come into the game in the middle of an inning. Still others don’t want them to pitch multiple innings.

It’s a big jigsaw puzzle for DeRosa and all the WBC managers. In some games, it goes smoothly. But in others — like against Mexico — it doesn’t go well.

“There’s a lot of guys that mean a lot to these big league ballclubs and their seasons,” DeRosa said. “I’m not going to do anything to jeopardize them. I would have loved to have put Kendall (Graveman) back out there after five pitches. I would have loved to put Devin (Williams) back out there after one. But that’s not what we’re doing.”

The trepidation for big league teams is understandable. During a normal year, most MLB pitchers are just starting to ramp up their workload during mid-March spring training games instead of enduring high-stress moments in competitive games.

The worry about potential pitching inju-

ries has also affected the makeup of team rosters. Using the U.S. as an example, the lineup is full of stars like Mike Trout, Nolan Arenado, Mookie Betts and Paul Goldschmidt. The pitching staff has a lot of guys casual baseball fans probably haven’t even heard of, like Jason Adam or Aaron Loup.

The pinch on pitching staffs isn’t just a U.S. problem. Venezuela manager Omar López mentioned some of the same issues.

“The limit in the Classic is 65 pitches but for me it’s 60,” López said. “If the limit were 25, mine would be 20 because in any at-bat there is the risk of surpassing the limit. Then I’d be getting phone calls the next day.”

Later he added: “I am a person who always abides by the rules set by any organization. I know the country is extremely important, but so are the organizations.”

Minnesota Twins

pitcher Pablo López, who threw for Venezuela on Sunday, echoed his manager’s comments.

“The tournament is extremely important, but it is also an extension to the preparation of a long and intense season,” Lopez said. “The decision is understandable.

Obviously, in the heat of the moment, you feel you’re in midseason with 120 pitches in the tank, but that is not the case.

“It is a decision based on the parameters of the tournament.”

‘Fosbury Flop’ high jumper Dick Fosbury passes away at 76

By EDDIE PELLS The Associated Press

Dick Fosbury, the lanky leaper who revamped the technical discipline of high jump and won an Olympic gold medal with his “Fosbury Flop,” has died. He was 76.

Fosbury died Sunday after a recurrence with lymphoma, according to his publicist, Ray Schulte.

Before Fosbury, many high jumpers cleared their heights by running parallel to the bar, then using a straddle kick to leap over before landing with their faces pointed downward. At the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, Fosbury took off at an angle, leaped backward, bent himself into a “J” shape to catapult his 6-foot-4 frame over the bar, then crashed headfirst into the landing pit.

It was a convention-defying move, and with the world watching, Fosbury cleared 2.24 meters (7 feet, 4 1/4 inches) to win the gold and set an Olympic record. By the next Olympics, 28 of the 40 jumpers were using Fosbury’s technique. The Montreal Games in 1976 marked the last Olympics in which a high jumper won a medal using a technique other than the Fosbury Flop.

“The world legend is probably used too often,” sprint great Michael Johnson tweeted. “Dick Fosbury was a true LEGEND! He changed an entire event forever with a technique that looked crazy at the time but the result made it the standard.”

Over time, Fosbury’s move became about more than simply high jumping. It is often used by business leaders and university professors as a study in innovation and willingness to take chances and break the mold.

champion Erik Kynard Jr. “And it takes huge courage, obviously. And took huge courage at the time to even consider something so dangerous. Due to the equipment then, it was something that was a little on edge to attempt.”

Fosbury started tinkering with a new technique in the early ‘60s, as a teenager at Medford High School in Oregon. Among his discoveries was a need to move his takeoff point farther back for higher jumps, so he could change the apex of the parabola shape of his jump to clear the bar. Most traditional jumpers of that day planted a foot and took off from the same spot regardless of the height they were attempting.

“I knew I had to change my body position, and that’s what started first the revolution, and over the next two years, the evolution,” Fosbury said in a 2014 interview with The Corvallis Gazette-Times.

“During my junior year, I carried on with this new technique, and each meet I continued to evolve or change, but I was improving. My results were getting better.”

The technique was the subject of scorn and ridicule in some corners. The term Fosbury Flop is credited to the Medford Mail-Tribune, which

wrote the headline “Fosbury Flops Over the Bar” after one of his high school meets. The reporter wrote that Fosbury looked like a fish flopping in a boat.

Fosbury liked “Fosbury Flop.”

“It’s poetic. It’s alliterative. It’s a conflict,” he once said.

In a chapter in his book about the Mexico City Games, journalist Richard Hoffer wrote that Fosbury once received a letter from an LA medical director suggesting his technique would lead to “a rash of broken necks.”

“For the good of young Americans, you should stop this ridiculous attack on the bar,” the letter said. As a kid, Fosbury threw himself into sports as a way of dealing with the grief after his younger brother, Greg, was killed by a drunken driver while the two boys were riding bikes. Unable to stick with the football or basketball teams, Fosbury tried track but struggled there with the preferred jump of those days — the straddle.

“He just looked at the thing differently, and it really worked,” said Eric Hintz of the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. “And he had the guts and fortitude to stick with it in the face of criticism.”

Mexico pitcher Julio Urías throws against Colombia during the first inning of a World Baseball Classic game in Phoenix, Saturday, March 11. AP PHOTO/ GODOFREDO A.