19. The Iola Register-May

Locally owned since 1867

It could get messy:

Iola school district navigates new laws

By VICKIE MOSS The Iola

Gone are the days when legislators kept their focus on education’s budget;

now they’re wading into what subjects can be taught, who can participate in what sports and activities, and even crossing the line between religion and state.

“For the most part, I think public education has always been kind of apolitical. It’s becoming politicized and a lot of the policies are detri-

Saturday, May 6, 2023

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A Watershed moment

Iola couple’s ministry efforts take root

By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register

On their spiritual journey, Shaunna and David Sturgeon are having to resist the temptation of more is better, such is the success of their four-year-old small group ministry they have named The Watershed.

The couple has been intentional about keeping under the radar, until recently using their home as a meeting place.

Two things have blown their cover.

Word has spread of their unconventional worship format and David was recently appointed campus pastor at Waypoint Church, 329 S. First St., the former home of Bible Fellowship Church.

David’s role at Waypoint is more administrative. He has no theological training. The church, which is regarded as a satellite church, streams its sermons from its headquarters in St. Charles, Mo.

For more than 20 years, David, age 45, has worked at Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant in Burlington, the couple’s hometown. They moved to Iola in 2018.

Shaunna, age 43, gradu-

From modest beginnings, Shaunna and David Sturgeon have created The Watershed ministry. REGISTER/SUSAN LYNN

Humboldt tackles issues, large and small

By RICHARD LUKEN The Iola Register

HUMBOLDT — For all of its successes — and there are many — Humboldt faces challenges similar to countless other rural communities these days.

Local employers are unable to keep fully staffed because of a dearth of quality and affordable housing, a lack of quality daycare centers; and an ongoing “brain drain” wave in which the best and brightest students often go elsewhere to find their niche in life.

For that matter, too many youths are the unwitting victims of a digital society, in which they’ve become accustomed to spending hours of screen time instead of play time — and their mental health has begun to suffer.

Indeed, topics at Tuesday’s Community Conversation sponsored by Thrive Allen County ran the gamut, with a small, but engaged group discussing everything from painting stripes along city streets, refurbishing the once-vibrant Neosho River Park and addressing dilapidated properties.

Vol. 125, No. 152 Iola, KS $1.00

So, even with a crowd of less than 10, the discussion spanned the better part of two hours.

FIRST the good news.

“We have a community that comes together and makes things happen,” said USD 258 Superintendent of Schools Amber Wheeler, particularly when it comes

to supporting youth. She counted such activities as the summer Water Wars festival, Christmas light parade and a successful school bond issue that passed by a 2-1 margin, despite the COVID pandemic largely scuttling any kind of pre-election campaign.

“It worked because our community is so supportive

of our schools,” said Wheeler, a Thayer native now in her second year at the helm at Humboldt. Wheeler also pointed to the Humboldt Recreation Commission, “which is second to none,” compared to similar-sized communities. “I’ve never been anywhere

LaHarpe man not competent to face murder charge

Dale Maloney, accused of fatally shooting neighbor Richard Diehl a year ago, will be committed to a mental health facility because he is not competent to stand trial.

Allen County District Judge Daniel Creitz handed down the commitment ruling on Wednesday, one year to the day of Diehl’s shooting.

Creitz’s order came after doctors at the Larned State Security Hospital concluded after a 90-day evaluation that Maloney, 79, is unlikely to ever become competent enough to stand trial.

Maloney suffered from dementia, family members said, after he was accused of fatally shooting Diehl, 68, in his garage in the early morning hours of May 3, 2002.

In his ruling, Creitz ruled that the Kansas Department of Age and Disability Services will oversee Maloney’s involuntary commitment proceedings.

Dale Maloney

Humboldt City Administrator Cole Herder, from left, Carolyn Westgate and Shirley Peck take part Tuesday in a community conversation hosted by Thrive Allen County. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Superintendent Stacey Fager expects school officials across the state will spend the summer awaiting legal advice on how to navigate the

USD 257 Superintendent of Schools Stacey Fager said it will take a while for schools to determine the scope of several varying state and federal education laws. REGISTER/VICKIE

Obituaries

Larry Manes

Larry Dennis Manes passed away Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at Moran Manor, after a short battle with cancer.

Larry was born July 18, 1944, in Springfield, Mo.

Larry Manes

During his youth, his family relocated to the Kansas City area. He graduated from Shawnee Mission North High School in 1962. Immediately following high school, he attended Pittsburg State University, but after one year decided to enlist in the United States Navy. he ws station in Idaho Falls, Idaho, where he studied nuclear energy. During this time, Larry was involved in the development of the USS Enterprise, an aircraft carrier powered by nuclear energy. Upon being honorably discharged, he found himself working a variety of jobs, but finally began his studies at Johnson County Community College, earning his associates degree. He then transferred to PIttsburg State University in 1975, graduating with a masters degree in economics.

In January 1976, Manes began his teaching career at Allen County Community Junior College, where he taught until retiring in 2000. During his time at Allen, he taught a wide range of classes, from economics to robotics to creative writing. He married Nelda Cuppy on Aug. 18, 1995, in Girard.

Larry’s adventurous spirit was evident by his style of living, with his signature satin shirts, working as a dump truck driver hauling waste, doing auto salvage, racing stock cars at Riverside Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., and mining silver during the summer in Colorado. He even played a part in an Iola Community Theatre production.

Larry’s stalwart loyalty to Allen Community College was evident by his faithful attendance at all college events, whether music, theater or sports. He was especially devoted to the Red Devil women’s basketball program. Larry was one of its biggest fans! He could be found sitting on the bench taking and keeping stats, driving the team buss, running the clock or handling whatever else was needed.

Larry believed in sharing his time, talents and treasures within the community. He served on the Allen Community College Board of Trustees, Allen County Historical Society Board, Thrive Economic Development Committee and Moran Ruritans. He spent summers driving a school bus, taking Moran youth to the Iola Municipal Swimming Pool for lessons, was involved with the Moran food distribution effort and committed to keeping the Marmaton Market going. He was also actively involved in the EKAE Ethanol Refinery in Garnett.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents and daughter-in-law, Jo Cuppy.

Larry is survived by his wife, Nelda, of the home; stepson, Larry Cuppy; son-in-law, Walter Palmisano; grandchildren Devon Cuppy, Cassandra Cuppy, Seth Cuppy; and one great-grandchild, Samuel Epstein-Cuppy.

A celebration of life will take place at a later date.

Memorials are suggested to the Larry Manes and Nelda Cuppy Athletic Scholarship at Allen Community College and may be left with Feuerborn Family Funeral Service, 1883 U.S. 54, Iola, KS.

Condolences may be left at www.feuerbornfuneral.com.

John Smith

John Edgar Smith passed away on April 14, 2023 at Allen County Regional Hospital from complications following a stroke. He was 94.

John was born Oct. 2, 1928 to Jack and Henrietta Smith in Joplin, Mo. He graduated from Joplin High School in 1946 and later earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from what is now Pittsburg State University.

John Smith

He married the love of his life, Lois Mary (Pearson) Smith in 1950, a union which lasted 72 years, until her death last August. Their time together was only interrupted by his Service overseas in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.

Education became John’s focus in life, starting as a teacher in Joplin and Lamar, Missouri. He moved to Kansas in 1955 where he taught American History and was the head basketball coach for 11 years at Atchison High School. He moved to school administration starting in suburban Wichita, as vice principal at Campus High School. In 1968 he moved to Humboldt, where he served as superintendent of schools for 22 years.

Sports was his main hobby, as he played and coached five different sports. He attended Pittsburg State on a basketball scholarship and played football there as well. As a high school student, he played a season of Minor League baseball for the Durham Bulls and as a semi-pro player in the Joplin area. He played with future greats Mickey Mantle, Ken and Clete Boyer, and Satchel Paige. He was an avid golfer all his adult life and could be seen regularly on the golf course in Humboldt well in his 80s including the high school golf team in Humboldt.

After his retirement, he contributed to his community by serving on a number of boards of non-profit organizations, including the Tri-Valley Developmental Services. He also was a member of several Civic groups, including the Humboldt Rotary Club.

He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife Lois, his son David, his brother Robert and other members of his extended family. He is survived by his children Stan and Barbie, four grandchildren, and their families, including nine great-grandchildren. He was devoted to his family and will be greatly missed. We love you Pops.

A celebration of life memorial service will be held on Friday, May 12, at Humboldt United Methodist Church at 11 a.m. with burial to follow at Mount Hope Cemetery in Humboldt. Memorials have been suggested to the Humboldt High School Alumni Association Scholarship Fund or the Methodist Men’s Association and may be left with or mailed to the funeral home. Online condolences may be left at: www.countrysidefh.com. Services are entrusted to Countryside Funeral Home 101 N. Highland, Chanute, Kansas 66720.

Court news

IOLA MUNICIPAL

COURT Judge Patti Boyd

Convicted as follows:

Candace E. Elbrader, Iola, improper window tint, $175

Timothy A. Fisher, Chanute, failure to carry/exhibit license, $1,500

Jacquelyn R. Mason, Iola, disorderly conduct, $195

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Sharaa L. Sweat, Iola, failure to carry/exhibit license, $665

Police news

Arrest reported

Iolan Brooklyn Sanchez was arrested Wednesday for suspicion of trespassing in the 10 block of North State Street, Iola police officers said.

On Wednesday, officers arrested Ieasha Kalman, 23, Iola, in the 600 block of North Cottonwood Street for warrants out of Neosho County.

Officers arrested Andrew Pratt, 21, Iola, for suspicion of possessing drug paraphernalia and transporting an open container of alcohol in 1200 block of East Street Tuesday.

Dog attack reported

Nikolas Sutton, 21, was cited for violating Iola’s vicious animal ordinances after two pit bulls attacked another dog in the 500 block of Eisenhower Drive Thursday. Iola police officers said the pit bulls got loose and attacked the third dog that was leashed and being walked by its owner, whose name was not released.

The injured dog, a boxer, was taken to

Red Barn Veterinary Clinic for treatment of several open wounds, officers said. The pit bulls were taken to Iola Animal Clinic for holding.

Sutton was cited for allowing dogs to run at large, no registration and violating Iola’s vicious animal laws.

Vehicle hits truck

A vehicle driven by Carly J. Dreher struck a trailer being pulled by James D. Parscale the morning of April 27, Iola police officers reported.

Dreher was turning left onto State Street when she struck Parscale’s trailer while Parscale was westbound on U.S. 54. Neither driver was injured.

Parked pickup hit

Payton R. Shaw was westbound on Broadway Street April 26 when she struck a parked pickup owned by Dominic E. McGee, officers said. McGee’s truck was parked just west of Sycamore Street.

Shaw was not injured.

Humboldt: Conversation covers strengths, challenges

Continued from A1

that has the type of programs Humboldt does,” Wheeler said.

On top of such things as summer baseball and softball, HRC also sponsors father-daughter dances, mother-son dress-up parties and just recently hosted a large track meet drawing scores of youngsters from across southeast Kansas.

Others in the audience also praised Wheeler and the Humboldt school district, which Humboldt City Administrator Cole Herder noted draws a large number of outof-district students.

Heck, Humboldt’s virtual school, an online program open to any high-schooler in the state, will sport a graduating class more than twice the size of Humboldt High School’s senior class.

In fact, in terms of overall student enrollment, the virtual school likely equals that of the rest of USD 258’s numbers, Wheeler said.

Attendees Gloria Westerman, Shirley Peck, Lorraine Kutzen-Stephens (who also works at Thrive) and City Councilman Paul Cloutier rattled off other advantages to living in Humboldt.

Cloutier said Humboldt’s size, large enough to attract retailers, but small enough that most folks know a large segment of Humboldt’s population is ideal.

More so, nearly all of Humboldt’s economic activity is derived from locally owned businesses.

“I’m picking my words carefully here,” Cloutier said. “We don’t rate a lot of these ‘formula’ businesses, with outside ownership.

“We have an incredible amount of examples to look to for local ownership, for rooted ownership, for entrepreneurship. If you look at Monarch, you look at B & W, you look at all the local businesses, there are so many mentors and opportunities to have support in starting new things. That’s huge.”

Gloria Westerman, was equally effusive in her assessment.

“I moved here 10 years ago, and I just love Humboldt,” especially with her friendly neighbors.

SHIRLEY PECK, another relative newcomer, moved to Humboldt a few years ago, and spoke about Humboldt’s fresh, clean air, and the ability to go outside and not worry about such things as pollution, or the smell of a nearby processing plant.

Peck also spoke about bonding with a young coworker at Our Market. The high-schooler was bright and engaging, Peck said. But lonely.

She worried that the confluence of social media, and spending hours on cell phones, is robbing the youngest generation of essential social interaction.

“Some of these teenagers, my heart just

goes out to them,” she said. “I’ve learned there are certain ways you can interact with them, and try to draw them out. Some of them are so lonely, they just need a friend.”

Peck’s comments sparked responses from both Wheeler and Lisse Regehr, Thrive CEO and moderator of Tuesday’s discussion.

Both agreed the mental health challenges facing youngsters nowadays is growing.

Regehr pointed to the Southeast Kansas Mental Health Center’s need for additional counselors and therapists. The staff has grown exponentially, she noted, but is still well short of meeting local demand.

Wheeler tackled a larger issue, in finding educational and development opportunities for youngsters still not in school.

Early childcare often translates to student success down the road, Wheeler noted.

“I came from a community that had no early childhood education programs or daycare,” Wheeler said. “Parents would send their kids to whoever happened to be available that day, or what neighbor they knew.”

The school district is engaged with developing better early childhood education programs, Wheeler said. She also invited attendees to partake in USD 258’s upcoming work to develop another long-range strategic plan. Community surveys have been sent out in recent days to help kick-start the process.

REGEHR noted that economic development, and more specifically, getting folks to fill jobs,

relies on four key factors: how much they pay, whether child care is available, housing and schools.

“You can have the right pay, you can have the right job, but if you don’t have the support of the community, you won’t get the people to move here,” Regehr said.

Regehr lauded USD 258 and Humboldt’s citizens for their efforts to tackle each of the four.

But the housing issue is a tough nut to crack, noted Cloutier, who also serves on a Bolder Humboldt, which has become a driving force in getting local businesses off the ground.

The cost of building a traditional three-bedroom house has likely eclipsed the $200,000 barrier, much more than workforce employees can afford.

The city’s best driver of new construction, Cloutier and Herder noted, is Humboldt High School’s building trades program, in large part because the district sells the structures at cost, and because the students provide what is

essentially free labor. “The kids learning is our profit,” she said.

But even there, the district has another looming challenge in that USD 258 has no more areas on which to build, Wheeler said.

“We typically try to build on donated land,” Wheeler said, in another effort to keep costs in line. But the district has only one parcel available once its existing project is completed in 2024, and it’s likely unusable because of drainage issues.

“It would require a lot of work from our city if we were to use it,” she said.

That said, the district does not want to become a land bank, either, Wheeler added. “We don’t want to have to mow a bunch of properties.”

Speaking of maintaining properties, Herder acknowledged the city should have been more responsive to upkeep at Neosho River Park.

Under the leadership of the late Vada Aikins and Peg Griffith, the park at the intersection of the Neosho River and

Bridge Street became an attractive gathering site, with nature trails, a colorful flower bed, new fishing dock and an amphitheater carved out of the riverbank’s sandstone bedrock.

But flooding in recent years covered the park in silt, and city crews and other volunteers have been lacking in their response, Herder said.

“We lost a lot of steam without Vada and Peg,” Herder said. “I’m a little bit embarrassed we let it get to this point.”

Regehr was intrigued with the thought of

spearheading future cleanup events to restore the park’s lost luster.

CLOUTIER also pointed to civic engagement for such things as community conversations.

He noted planners had set up dozens of spots for Tuesday’s discussion, only to have most of the chairs remaining empty.

Regehr suggested ways Thrive may try to entice more to attend future discussions, such as having the talk in the fall instead of the spring.

~ Marilyn Miller

Humboldt USD 258 Superintendent of Schools Amber Wheeler, left, speaks at a Humboldt community conversation Tuesday. At right, Thrive Allen County CEO Lisse Regehr, right speaks at the conversation, alongside Thrive executive assistant Chi Wiggin. Thrive hosted the event. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

Students participate in Sticker Shock campaign

By JESSICA MCGINNIS ACMAT

The Allen County Multi-Agency Team (ACMAT) coalition joined forces with Allen County students for a unique and impactful campaign called “Sticker Shock.” This campaign aims to discourage adults from purchasing alcohol for minors by placing warning labels on alcohol products.

On March 27, students from Marmaton Valley High School visited stores that sell liquor in Moran. Iola High School students did the same in their community on April 11, followed by Humboldt High School on April 13.

Underage drinking is a serious public health concern in the United States, with significant negative consequences on the physical, emotional, and social well-being of young people. According to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 4,300 deaths among underage youth are caused by excessive alcohol consumption each year, and it is associated with a range of other issues such as risky sexual behavior, impaired judgment, academic problems, and even legal troubles.

The “Sticker Shock”

campaign is a proactive effort to tackle this issue at its root by raising awareness among adults about the legal and moral responsibilities associated with providing alcohol to minors. The campaign involves students working with ACMAT and local retailers to place attention-grabbing stickers on alcohol products in stores that contain a warning message: “Buying alcohol for a minor can come with a hefty price. Not only can it buy you a $200 fine, but you can end up with a misdemeanor on your record.”

The “Sticker Shock” campaign has garnered attention and appreciation from the community for its innovative approach to addressing the issue of underage drinking. The campaign aims to create a sense of social responsibility among adults and raise awareness about the legal consequences of providing alcohol to minors. The stickers serve as a visible reminder to both the adults purchasing alcohol and the young people who may be considering consuming it that underage drinking is not only

April hiring gains reflect still-resilient job market

WASHINGTON (AP)

— America’s employers added a healthy 253,000 jobs in April, evidence of a labor market that still shows surprising resilience despite rising interest rates, chronically high inflation and a banking crisis that could weaken the economy.

The unemployment rate dipped to 3.4%, matching a 54-year low, the Labor Department said Friday. The jobless rate fell in part, though, because 43,000 people left the labor force, the first drop since November, and were no longer counted as unemployed.

In its report Friday, the government noted that while hiring was solid in April, it was much weaker in February and March than it had previously estimated. Job gains for those months was downgraded by a combined 149,000. And hourly wages rose last month at the fastest pace since July, which may alarm the inflation fighters at the Federal Reserve.

April’s hiring gain compares with 165,000 in March and 248,000 in February and is still at a level considered vigorous by historical standards.

harmful but also illegal. The “Sticker Shock” campaign also aims to foster a long-term change in social norms related to underage drinking.

Retail partners in-

cluded Pete’s and The Marmaton Market in Moran; Mildred Store; O’Shaughnessy Liquor, State Street Liquor, G&W Foods in Iola; Our Market, Freedom Liquor and Pete’s in Humboldt.

Court: State’s attack on advance mail-in ballots unconstitutional

By TIM CARPENTER Kansas Reflector

TOPEKA — A U.S. District Court judge issued a ruling Thursday declaring another portion of a 2021 Kansas law passed by the Legislature over the veto of Gov. Laura Kelly to be an infringement of First Amendment rights of speech and association in the U.S. Constitution.

The statute designed to block distribution of advance mail ballot applications to potential Kansas voters was inspired by Republicans who acted on false claims sophisticated crooks stole reelection from President Donald Trump in 2020. The Democratic governor vetoed the bill, but was overridden by the GOP-led House and Senate two years ago.

Implementation of the state law was stalled in wake of the federal lawsuit and the subsequent injunction authorized by Judge Kathryn Vratil. Last year, Vratil struck down portions of House Bill 2332 forbidding out-of-state groups from being involved in distribution of mail ballot applications to potential voters. The state’s attorneys had agreed this section of the law violated First and 14th Amendments of the federal constitution.

The Voter Participation Center and VoteAmerica,

A U.S. District Court judge in Kansas City, Kan, declared unconstitutional key portions of a 2021 state law aimed at limiting distribution of applications for mailin advance ballots. KANSAS REFLECTOR/SHERMAN SMITH

which conducted an unprecedented mail-in voter drive in Kansas during the 2020 election cycle, continued with a challenge to other elements of the law. The defendants were Republicans Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Johnson District Attorney Stephen Howe and Attorneys General Derek Schmidt and, later, Kris Kobach.

With representation from the Campaign Legal Center and other attorneys, the plaintiffs challenged the law’s ban on any person or organization soliciting a registered voter by mail and the law’s prohibition on sending by mail an application for an advance mail ballot that was personalized with the voter’s name and address. Under this scenario, a Kansas voter had to sign and date the application to initiate the pro-

cess of securing an advance ballot from county election officials.

Vratil, who operates from the Robert J. Dole U.S. Courthouse in Kansas City, Kansas, said in the new ruling — a 42page dissertation on shortcomings of the 2021 Kansas law — the personalized application prohibition was an unconstitutional restriction on “plaintiff’s core political speech and association” and was written so broadly it “criminalizes a substantial amount of protected speech.”

Under the law, it would have been illegal to mail an advance mail ballot application personalized with a voter’s name and address even if the voter provided that information and requested the application.

The Kansas law, however, carved out exceptions to the misdemeanor offense by permitting a subset of state and county election officials to mail pre-filled advance mail ballot applications. State lawyers defending the law argued the prohibition was necessary to minimize voter confusion, preserve voter confidence, reduce in inefficiencies in election administration and reduce potential voter fraud.

Tom Lopach, president and chief executive officer of the nonpartisan civic-engagement organization Voter Par-

ticipation Center, said after Vratil issued the ruling that House Bill 2332 was “dangerous law.”

“It would have made voting more difficult for Kansans by threatening their ability to vote by mail,” Lopach said. “In the 2020 election, we saw firsthand the urgency of vote-bymail in the midst of the pandemic. That’s why we fought back — to protect Kansans from this assault on our democracy. We will keep working to ensure every American can make their voice heard.”

The Voter Participation Center’s mission has been to bolster election participation among traditionally underserved groups, including young voters, voters of color and unmarried women, to rates commensurate with voters in other groups. The organization’s approach relied on direct mailings to encourage people to register and participate in the electoral process.

In the 2020 general election, the Voter Participation Center and its sister organization, the Center for Voter Information, sent advance mail ballot application packets to approximately 507,000 Kansas voters. An estimated 112,000 Kansans used one of these organizations’ pre-paid and pre-addressed envelopes to mail an advance ballot application to a county election

office in that election.

Paul Smith, vice president for litigation at the Campaign Legal Center, said the Kansas statute was part of a national effort to restrict the freedom to vote. He said Kansas took aim at public-interest organizations attempting to help people navigate confounding mail-in voting systems.

Kelly issued her veto in April 2021 and argued provisions of the statute were a solution to a problem that didn’t exist in Kansas. Kelly, Schwab and Schmidt at various times had lauded the security and accuracy of Kansas elections.

“Although Kansans have cast millions of ballots over the last decade, there remains no evidence of significant voter fraud in Kansas,” the governor said. “It (the law) is designed to disenfranchise Kansans, making it difficult for them to participate in the democratic process — not to stop voter fraud.”

She said states enacting restrictive voting legislation often invited criticism from major corporations and the Kansas law could antagonize “the very businesses Kansas is trying to recruit is not how we continue to grow our economy.”

Her veto was overridden by the Kansas Senate on a vote of 28-12 and by the Kansas House by a vote of 86-37.

Watershed: Iola couple’s small group ministry thrives

Continued from A1

ated last weekend from Wesley Seminary, based in Marion, Ind., and has been ordained. Wesley is an evangelical Christian theological seminary founded in 2009 by the Wesleyan Church denomination and Indiana Wesleyan University.

She grew up Southern Baptist while David’s faith didn’t blossom until he was, oddly enough, a student at the University of Kansas where he became associated with the Campus Crusade for Christ student organization.

Both David and Shaunna are KU graduates with degrees in education, though neither has pursued that route career-wise. They have four children; two in college, one in high school and a second-grader.

As young parents, the couple became involved with Lamont Wesleyan Church in Lamont, about 25 miles southwest of Burlington, and its “church planting” philosophy of creating small churches in rural areas.

From there, the couple became involved with Wesleyan’s Radiant Life Church in New Strawn.

When they moved to Iola, the couple said they initially considered “planting” a church here but what they considered its downsides have convinced them otherwise.

“First off, as newcomers, we didn’t want to siphon off from existing congregations,” Shaunna said. “We didn’t want to be the shiny new object in town. All that does is ‘rearrange Christians.’ There are always people who are going to bounce around from church to church, and we didn’t want to do that. We wanted to honor the local churches in town. They’ve been here a lot

longer than we have.”

And on a more practical side, the couple didn’t want to take on the expenses of a physical building and hiring staff.

The couple began to consider a different church model not only to keep their costs down, but also to target a younger demographic, specifically those between ages 18-34, who tend to shy away from traditional churches, and also suffer higher degrees of poverty.

“There are a lot of young adults really struggling here,” David said. “That’s also an age group that isn’t necessarily going to be interested in walking into a traditional church building.”

To help bridge the gap, the couple eschews a sermon format and instead leans on group discussions.

“Not that sermons can’t be great,” Shaunna said, “but we’ve found that true discipleship comes from intimate settings where you can go deeper.”

Shaunna gives David the credit for growing their small worship community.

“He’s the extrovert,” she said. “He’s always talking about people he meets at Walmart. I call it his Walmart Mission Trip.” In no time, David began inviting people to their home on Sunday evenings for a simple meal and fellowship, which over time led to worship.

“It started out just talking about life, asking about their struggles,” Shaunna said.

The interactive model particularly appeals to international students attending Allen Community College.

“Some nights American citizens might be in the minority!” Shaunna exclaimed in delight. “It’s been so neat to have people from all

over the world come to our home.”

“We believe the Holy Spirit speaks through anyone, no matter where they are on their journey of faith,” said David.

The international component “has really enriched our faith and the way we design it. We keep it very simple because sometimes the things we do in church become so complex and

intimidating,” Shaunna said.

The group follows a curriculum aligned with the Wesleyan Church.

The informal format also leads to lots of sharing, she said. “For example, we had a guy from Zimbabwe who said he wanted to learn more about fasting,” said Shaunna. “I told him my limit was three days. Turns out,

he’d been fasting for 100 days!

“So, he gave a group lesson about fasting.”

During the school year, the numbers have grown to where the Sturgeons can’t accommodate everyone at their home and have moved to the Waypoint church. During the summer, however, they expect the number to drop.

As for the name of

their movement, The Watershed, David said it came to him in a dream back in 2019. Upon waking the next morning, he said, “I gotta make sure I know what it means.”

Sure enough, it fit their goals perfectly.

“It was this perfect word that summarized exactly who we want to be,” he said. “An experience that changes the direction of your life.”

Saturday,

Allowing NBA players to promote pot is a dangerous idea

NBA stars are known for their highflying feats on the court. Now, they might just be high.

Reports have suggested the new tentative contract between the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association might do the unthinkable: The deal may allow players to use marijuana and THC products during the season without being penalized. It may even permit players to promote and invest in companies selling the drug, which is stronger and more dangerous than ever.

That’s right. They might really send the message to their young players and millions of kids who admire basketball players, whose brains are still developing, that getting high is OK.

Let’s be clear: Today’s highly potent marijuana is anything but “recreational,” as the U.S. surgeon general and every major medical association in the nation have said for years. Still, the NBA and its players may now give THC drug products their imprimatur. Any suggestion that the league would indirectly promote drug use should be shocking to fans, parents and policymakers.

Medical science is becoming more conclusive that THC, the psychoactive component in marijuana, has significant detrimental physical and psychological impacts. This is particularly true when the THC is taken in the high doses often found in today’s concentrates, edibles and vaping products.

Science has shown there is a direct association between frequency of marijuana use before the age of 18 and higher THC potency with the development of addiction, IQ loss, motor skill loss and mental health issues.

No player today would endorse a cigarette brand, and no player should be willing to endorse a THC-laced product. One would think owners wouldn’t want players with THC habits on the court or encouraging more drug use among fans.

The league and the players should also consider the disproportionate impact of such a move on the NBA fan base, particularly communities of color. More than 70% of NBA players were people of color during the 2021-22 season. A survey by Statista found that 76% of Black Americans indicated they were NBA fans.

Pot shops in some American cities have their heaviest concentrations in lower-income and minority neighborhoods. The league and the players association would do well to acknowledge that Big Marijuana is targeting those communities heavily. That might make for a moneymaking opportunity for a player, but you can’t spin it as a good thing for the community.

IF THE NEW contract includes a marijuana exclusion provision and reverses the NBA’s long-standing prohibition on endorsing drug products, the league and the players will be encouraging more drug use that will harm lower-income people the most.

Science has shown a direct link between marijuana use in those 18 and younger and the likelihood of addiction, loss of motor skills and the exacerbation of mental health issues.

Cannabis use disorder — the clinical term for marijuana addiction — in young people in “pot legal” states has grown 25%, according to a 2019 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Psychiatry.

States that have commercialized THC have also seen increases of more than 100% in calls to poison control centers, addiction hotlines and emergency room visits involving minors.

Even former Miami Heat guard Dion Waiters experienced a medical emergency on a team charter flight in late 2019 after consuming THC-infused gummy bears. John Lucas, a Houston Rockets assistant coach who runs a wellness and recovery program, was correct when he said, “The problem with it is it doesn’t kill you. But it does kill your spirit, your ability to achieve. It takes away your drive.’’ In fact, the majority of Lucas’ clients today are coming in for marijuana addiction.

It’s no secret that many NBA players likely use marijuana. They’ve learned to understand drug testing schedules. But the prospect of this change in NBA policy is still bewildering and alarming.

~ Journalism that makes a difference

Larry loved life in all its colors

Susan Lynn

Register editor

A dozen years ago I was so intrigued with Larry Manes’s flashy wardrobe that I invited myself to his and wife Nelda Cuppy’s home in Moran to learn what was behind it.

She was.

Nelda was an expert seamstress who indulged Larry’s whimsical tastes.

He loved satin and sparkles. Jeweled-hewed colors. Paisley or plaid.

Larry said he made a point of wearing something with “pizzazz” when he attended the quarterly meetings of the Kansas Association of Community College Trustees, slightly jabbing at the staid group.

Larry died Tuesday at age 78.

What he brought to Allen County is worth remembering.

He came this way via a teaching position at Allen Community County in 1976 where he concentrated on math-related subjects including banking and agricultural finance as well as geology and creative writing.

He was a Renaissance man.

In February 2011, Larry Manes shows offs a closetful of brightly colored shirts his wife Nelda had sewn for him.

State University. He loved history and became president of the Allen County History Society. He loved science, devoting a part of his summers mining for silver in southwest Colorado. He loved ACC sports, faithfully keeping stats for the Lady Devils basketball games and driving the team’s bus.

home. In Nelda’s sewing room were two 1630 Berninas and a Baby Lock serger. Nelda also sewed for herself, preferring a more understated look. Her blouse that day was a subdued blue with a network of pleats that flowed out from a tasteful collar.

The NBA has proudly stood up for social and racial justice. Those negotiating the new contract must know that more drugs aren’t creating opportunity for communities of color either. Only 4% of commercial marijuana businesses have any Black ownership, and the biggest players in the industry are still corporate tobacco behemoths like Altria, a Philip Morris company. Young people idolize their favorite sports figures. They seek to emulate them. Encouraging more young people to engage in high-potency THC use would make the NBA little better than the insatiable marketers of Big Marijuana who could care less about the consequences.

In the end, the NBA and the players have a choice to make. They can choose to take their responsibility as brands, public figures and role models seriously — or they can show Americans it’s really just all about the money. Nobody wins with drugs in the game. Let’s hope this new basketball contract isn’t an air ball for all of us.

About the authors: Kevin Sabet, Ph.D., is president and CEO of the nonprofit Smart Approaches to Marijuana (SAM). He also is a former White House drug policy adviser to Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Teresa Haley is president of the NAACP Illinois State Conference and founder of Haley & Associates. Haley was a recipient of the NAACP’s Activist of the Year award in 2020.

He joined the Navy “to see the world,” but instead was stationed in Idaho Falls, Idaho where he studied nuclear energy in the development of the aircraft carrier the USS Enterprise, which was powered by nuclear energy.

After the Navy and five years of “purposeful floating,” Manes took a second try at college and earned a degree in economics followed by a master’s in the same field from Pittsburg

He loved his planet, most recently becoming involved in a local effort to begin a recycling program.

And he loved people, never hesitating to give of his time to local do-gooder efforts including Moran Ruritan, Moran Pride, the Marmaton Market and Thrive Allen County.

On the day I visited in February 2011, Larry and Nelda graciously took me through their modest

She liked the contrast of their styles, adding, “We couldn’t both be in the same room if I dressed like that,” joking about the “glare factor” of Larry’s shirts.

Larry proudly opened his closet door to display a vibrant array of shirts that “suit my personality.”

At that time, Nelda had made him 39.

Larry’s colorful, full life is a reminder that life is to be enjoyed, and that it’s often the simple things that yield the greatest reward.

A look back in t me. A look back in t me.

60 Years Ago May 1963

Mrs. Carl Conger, Allen County dairy farmer who gained national prominence in 1960 with a Saturday Evening Post article on “The Farmers’ Side of the Case,” will take the government side of the case in a wheat referendum debate and panel discussion in Memorial Hall here next Monday. She will argue the Department of Agriculture’s position that it will be to the benefit of the nation’s farmers if the referendum carries. Frank Boyd, Jr., widely known Moran farmer, will expound the position of those who feel the “no” votes should prevail, calling a halt to the expanding role of government in farm controls.

(Farmers in Allen County joined others across the state turned down the federal government’s 1964 wheat program with 549 no votes and 402 yes votes. Only 41.1 percent of the county voters cast ballots.)

*****

LAHARPE — Fourteen LaHarpe High School seniors graduated last night during commencement exercises.

***** COLONY —Commencement exercises for 13 graduating seniors of Colony

High School Class of 1963 will be Wednesday night with Keith E. Akins, director of speech and debate at Shawnee Heights High School, as commencement speaker.

*****

Supt. Ennor Horine said a voluntary collection to honor Iola Colborn will be taken at Iola’s public schools. Horine pointed out that in the will of Thomas H. Bowlus it was stated that the Iola public school children were to be given the opportunity to contribute to a memorial for the woman for whom Iola was named so that their interest in and appreciation for the founders of the city might be increase. Mr. Bowlus suggested that the maximum gift from any one student be 10 cents. Horine said the marker at Mrs. Colborn’s grave will state it was erected by contributions made by the pupils of Iola public schools.

*****

Twelve eighth grade students from Allen County schools graduated in commencement exercises Saturday at Memorial Hall. Graduates were from Petrolia, Carlyle and Prairie Dell schools.

*****

Three Iola Junior College

sophomores were medal winners in the national junior college track and field meet at Big Spring, Texas, last weekend. Wilfred Lehmann, of Le Roy, was third in the two-mile run. Alvin Weston, Yates Center, was sixth in the shot put, and Spencer King, Iola, was sixth in the broad jump.

*****

Commencement exercises were held last night in the Memorial Hall for 110 Iola High School graduates and 83 Iola Junior College graduates. The top three students in the order of their ranking in the college were Janice Goodsell, Barbara Roe and Dwayne Litteer. The top three high school students in that same order were Mary Pierce, Kathleen Thompson and John Norton. Special recognition was given to Mrs. Minnie Allen, longtime teacher whose presence last night marked the 60th consecutive commencement she has attended in Iola. The auditorium was filled to overflowing, and Supt. Ennor Horine commented that this was probably the last time for a combined high school and junior college commencement since both the enrollment and size of the audience had grown so large.

REGISTER/SUSAN LYNN

Elsmore Alumni group offers quilt block fundraiser

Betty Hawley created this quilt as a fundraiser for the Elsmore Alumni Association. Donors can buy blocks in recognition of an alumni’s name and graduation year for $25 apiece. REGISTER/RICHARD LUKEN

ELSMORE — The Elsmore Alumni Banquet will be at 5:30 p.m., Saturday, May 27, at the Elsmore Community Building.

The building will be open at 4 p.m. for attendees to visit prior to the banquet. If an alumni did not receive a banquet invitation, please contact Janice Fewins Rake, secretary/treasurer, at janicerake@gmail. com. Reservations for the $15 meal need to be made and paid for by May 13.

The Alumni Association will award scholarships to students

WHO: COVID pandemic no longer global emergency

GENEVA (AP) — The World Health Organization said Friday that COVID-19 no longer qualifies as a global emergency, marking a symbolic end to the devastating coronavirus pandemic that triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions of people worldwide.

The announcement, made more than three years after WHO declared the coronavirus an international crisis, offers some relief, if not an ending, to a pandemic that stirred fear and suspicion, hand-wringing and finger-pointing across the globe.

The U.N. health agency’s officials said that even though the emergency phase was over, the pandemic hasn’t finished, noting recent spikes in cases in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

WHO says thousands of people are still dying from the virus every week, and millions of others are suffering from debilitating, longterm effects.

“It’s with great hope that I declare COVID-19 over as a global health emergency,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“That does not mean COVID-19 is over as a global health threat,”

he said, warning that new variants could yet emerge. Tedros noted that while the official COVID-19 death toll was 7 million, the real figure was estimated to be at least 20 million.

Tedros said the pandemic had been on a downward trend for more than a year, acknowledging that most countries have already returned to life before COVID-19.

He bemoaned the damage that COVID-19 had done to the global community, saying the pandemic had shattered businesses, exacerbated political divisions, led to the spread of misinformation and plunged millions into poverty.

The political fallout in some countries was swift and unforgiving.

Some pundits say missteps by President Donald Trump in his administration’s response to the pandemic had a role in his losing reelection bid in 2020. The United States saw the deadliest outbreak anywhere in the world — where more than 1 million people died across the country.

Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO’s emergencies chief, said it was incumbent on heads of states and other leaders to negotiate a wide-ranging pandemic treaty to decide how future health threats should be faced.

Ryan said that some of the scenes witnessed during COVID-19, when people resorted to “bartering for oxygen canisters,” fought to get into emergency rooms and died in parking lots because they couldn’t get treated, must never be repeated.

When the U.N. health agency first declared the coronavirus to be an international crisis on Jan. 30, 2020, it hadn’t yet been named COVID-19 and there were no major outbreaks beyond China.

More than three years later, the virus has caused an estimated 764 million cases globally and about 5 billion people have received at least one dose of vaccine.

In the U.S., the public health emergency declaration made regarding COVID-19 is set to expire on May 11, when wide-ranging measures to support the pandemic response, including vaccine mandates, will end. Many other countries, including Germany, France and Britain, dropped most of their provisions against the pandemic last year.

When Tedros declared COVID-19 to be an emergency in 2020, he said his greatest fear was the virus’ potential to spread in countries with weak health systems.

In fact, some of the countries that suffered the worst COVID-19 death tolls were previously judged to be the best-prepared for a pandemic, including the U.S. and Britain. According to WHO data, the number of deaths reported in Africa account for just 3% of the global total.

during the banquet. Alumni can contribute to the scholarship fund through a donation or by the purchase of a block or blocks on the Elsmore Dragon Quilt made by Betty Bo-

ler Hawley. Blocks with an alumni’s name and graduation year can be purchased for $25 apiece. More information can be requested from Janice at the email above.

Superintendent: Reflects on hectic legislative session

Continued from A1

mental to public education,” Fager said.

Kansas lawmakers waited until the final day of the session last week to pass a K-12 education package.

The bill fully funds education while expanding a private school tax credit, allowing private school students to participate in public school sports and activities and gives the state first rights to abandoned school buildings.

Earlier in the session, lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s vetoes related to transgender individuals, banning them from school sports and from using women’s restrooms, locker rooms and other gender-specific areas.

Those new laws are likely to be challenged in court. Regarding a ban on transgender athletes, President Joe Biden proposed a rule that such bans would violate Title IX, the gender-equity legislation enacted in 1972, but also leaves open a path for separation.

“Schools can be caught in the middle,” Fager said.

“You have federal laws that are in place regarding non-discrimination. If the state law is different, where do schools side?

“We try to get legal opinions because we don’t want to put any of our personnel in legal jeopardy.”

FAGER CLOSELY watches Legislative sessions each year, and notes efforts to politicize education have increased.

“It just seems like in the past couple of years, these things have really gained momentum,” he said.

Many of the proposals considered by lawmakers in the past couple of years have not originated with the Kansas Board of Education but from outside groups, such as a proposed “Parents’ Bill of Rights.” That bill did not pass,

but Fager expects lawmakers to keep trying for something similar in the future. A parental rights bill would allow parents to object to any educational materials or activities that they believe would harm the student or parents’ beliefs, values or principles. Educational materials would include reading material, websites, videos and textbooks.

Fager sees such things as an attempt to usurp the authority of local school boards. Local board members approve curriculum based on recommendations from educators, who spend a considerable amount of time carefully studying and testing the materials. They are held accountable for those decisions.

“It starts to muddy the water if people are given the authority to pretty much act like school boards and determine what is appropriate and what isn’t,” Fager said. “It could create an instance where you could be constantly questioned on the appropriateness of what you teach in a classroom.”

States that have passed similar bills have found it difficult to retain staff, Fager noted.

“Some states have gone so far as to say if you teach a particular type of ideology or curriculum, you could be legally liable. Our teachers are professionals and we hold them to a high standard,” Fager said.

“Even as administrators, seldom do we go into a classroom and try to dictate curriculum. It goes through a process.”

ANOTHER EXAMPLE is an effort to use taxpayer money to offer some type of vouchers that would pay tuition at private and parochial schools.

That topic has come up again and again in recent years and has yet to pass. A measure passed the House this year but narrowly failed

in the Senate.

Lawmakers, though, did expand a private school tax credit. Initially intended to help low-income families, it was expanded to include those who earn up to 250% of the federal poverty level with a tax write-off of 75%, up from 70%.

“You’d be hardpressed not to see this at some point becoming a direct competition to public schools,” Fager said.

Private and parochial schools have different types of funding mechanisms and typically aren’t held to the same standards as public schools. The tax credit plan that was approved does require private schools to be in the process of seeking accreditation, but other proposals did not attach such a requirement.

“The Constitution says Kansas is to serve the interest of all its populace through a public-school setting. That’s where the state should be focusing,” Fager said.

Lawmakers also voted to allow students who are home-schooled or attend private schools to participate in public school activities, such as sports teams overseen by the Kansas State High School Activities Association.

Those students do not have to face the same type of academic standards or attendance requirements to participate in sports.

SOME OF the education laws caught Fager — and others — by surprise.

An example is a provision that allows the state first right of refusal on closed school buildings.

Again, Fager sees that as an example of the state overriding the authority of local school boards. School facilities are usually built with bonds approved by local taxpayers, but the new law will give the state the ability to claim those buildings.

In some cases, that could be a benefit. Fager said he heard a report that about 30 districts have unused, vacant buildings. If the state had a use for them, it could relieve the district of maintenance or other expenses.

“There are a number of them out there. Could they be torn down? Could they be repurposed for something else that the school district or local community doesn’t see as a viable option? I don’t know,” Fager said.

The Iola district is an example of how a community can benefit from those old buildings. Iola entered an agreement with a development firm to convert all three of its vacant elementary schools into housing, pending financing.

LAWMAKERS also failed to significantly increase funding for special education, approving an increase of just 1%, or $7.5 million.

Gov. Laura Kelly asked for $72.4 million every year for the next five years to meet a statutory requirement to provide 92% of the costs of special educa-

tion. The state is about $160 million short of this level and hasn’t met the requirement since 2011.

Instead, the bill lawmakers approved establishes a special education funding task force that would study the way public schools use special education funding. It’s possible Kelly could veto the education bill. Fager wonders if the lack of special education funding is a sufficient reason for a veto. It’s risky, though, because a veto would require a special session and could allow lawmakers an opportunity to make other changes to the bill.

“Is that special education funding enough to bring the Legislature back in a special session and not know what other things they could potentially attach?” Fager asked.

EVEN WITH his concerns, Fager said this year’s legislative session achieved the primary objective of funding schools.

It could have been worse.

He’s particularly re-

lieved that lawmakers did not remove the consumer price index (CPI) as part of the funding mechanism.

The bill provides an inflation adjustment for the base state aid per pupil for each of the next three school years, based on a three-year average of the Midwest consumer price index.

At the last minute, lawmakers added a proposal to remove the CPI. That would have meant a loss of $564,037 for the Iola district in the 2024-2025 school year budget.

“Removing the CPI came out of nowhere. It was never debated. It came up two weeks ago and caught everyone’s attention,” Fager said.

In the end, that proposal was taken out of the bill.

The CPI was part of the Gannon settlement to provide fair funding for education, which ultimately resulted in the Kansas Supreme Court taking jurisdiction over education funding.

“They really needed a mechanism to ensure that funding would increase over time and the CPI was a remedy,” Fager said. “Could it be revisited next year? Who knows?”

Sports Daily B

Humboldt hosts area track meet

Humboldt’s Blake Ellis, right, steps on second base and fires to first base. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

Boys 100-meter dash — 4. Brenton Edgerton, Crest, 12.23; 5. Trey Sommer, Humboldt, 12.23; 8. Jaedon Granere, Marmaton Valley, 12.35; 11. Gavin Jaro, Humboldt, 13.03.

Boys 200-meter dash — 5. Sommer, 24.68; 6. Granere, 25.13; 9. Jerry Rodriguez, 25.86; 11. Jaro, 26.49; 13. Caleb Gunderman, Humboldt, 29.15; 14. Isaac Higdon, SCC, 29.32.

Boys 400-meter run

— 1. Sommer, 55.13; 3. Jaro, 58.89; 7. John Rolf, Southern Coffey County, 1:00.82.

Boys 800-meter run — 1. Peyton Wallace, 2:14.41; 2. Javyn Hess, Humboldt, 2:16.66; 3. Elijah Taylor, Crest, 2:24.26.

Boys 1600-meter race — 1. Wallace, 5:12.14; 2. Gunner Ellington, Crest, 5:12.64; 5. Taylor, 5:29.89; 9. Trey Winn, 6:15.28.

Boys 3200 meter run — 2. Ellington, 11:23.74; 3. Cole Moyer, 11:48.76.

Boys 110-meter hurdles — 3. Mateo Miller, Humboldt, 18.46; 5. Jacob Zimmerman, Crest, 19.73; 6. Quenton Heisler, Humboldt, 20.43; 9. Ryan West, Crest, 22.11.

Boys 300-meter hurdles — 4. Miller, 46.15; 7. Moyer, 50.13; 8. Q Heisler, 50.37; 9. Todd Stephenson, MV, 50.54; Boys 4x100 meter relay — 1. Crest, 45.93; 6. Humboldt, 50.88; 7. Marmaton Valley, 51.59; 11. Southern Coffey County, 1:09.16.

Boys 4x400 meter relay — 3. Humboldt, 3:57.17.

Boys 4x800 meter relay — 3. Humboldt, 9:52.44; 4. Crest, 9:53.29.

Boys long jump — 3. Ethan Godderz, Crest, 19’ 4.5”; 6. Sommer, 18’ 10.50”;

Humboldt pins Osawatomie

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola Register

HUMBOLDT — The weather forecast for the Humboldt High baseball team called for continuous scoring in a pair of victories on senior night Thursday against Osawatomie. The Cubs scored in six of the seven innings of game one for a 7-4 win before overwhelming the Trojans by 16-0 in game two. Senior Cub Trey Sommer threw a no-hitter in game two while striking out seven through four frames. “The thing I was most proud of today was their situational hitting,” Humboldt head coach Mike Miller said. “With runners on third with less than two outs, we did a good job of shortening up and getting that RBI, picking up that run. Every time we had a runner on third

with less than two outs, we scored.”

Game one

The Cubs tacked one run on the board in each of the first four innings to take a controlled 4-0 lead. Osawatomie responded with three runs in the top of the fifth inning to which the Cubs answered with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth for the 6-3 lead.

Both teams scored one more run in the bottom of the sixth and the top of the seventh as Humboldt hung on for the 7-4 win.

Logan Page started at pitcher, working 4.1 innings, allowing only two runs on three hits with eight strikeouts. Kyler Isbell pitched in relief in the fifth inning and went 2.2 frames, allowing two runs on one hit.

Page knocked home the third run for Humboldt’s

3-0 lead in the bottom of the third. Sam Hull then smacked an RBI single for the 4-0 lead in the fourth.

In the bottom of the fifth, Page rocketed an RBI triple to right field for the 5-3 lead. Colden Cook then shot an RBI groundout to shortstop for the 6-3 advantage. Sommer added to it in the sixth inning when he tattooed a single to left field for the 7-3 lead.

“We’ve got to come back and answer when we give up some runs,” said Miller. “Baseball is a game of momentum and when they stole it back we were able to come back in the bottom of the inning. That was big for us.”

Hull and Page each knocked in a team-high two runs while Hull and Sommer each had a team-high three hits. Mason Sterling, Cole Mathes and Page each re-

corded two hits. Osawatomie’s Cooper Peterson had a team-high two hits while Troy Mosley drove home the lone run.

Game two Humboldt plated nine runs in the first inning and cruised in four innings to a 16-0 victory.

Blake Ellis and Sommer drove home a team-high three runs while Jacob Harrington also plated two runs. Ellis and Sommer also had a team-high three hits and eight of the Cubs in the lineup knocked hits. In his start on the mound, Sommer didn’t allow a hit and struck out seven across four innings.

“We’ve got to have our pitchers’ back and make plays when they make good pitches,” Miller said. “Trey

See CUBS | Page B2

Lady Cubs easily handle Trojans at home

By QUINN BURKITT The Iola

HUMBOLDT — The Humboldt High softball team didn’t make it easy for Osawatomie at home on Thursday.

The Lady Cubs earned a pair of lopsided victories, 22-5 and 11-1. Emily Ross scored a team-high six runs and Shelby Shaughnessy gave up only six runs on the mound.

Game one

Humboldt scored a whopping 18 runs in the first two innings before Osawatomie was able to strike for five runs in the top of the third inning — their lone runs of the game. Humboldt added four more runs in the fifth for the 22-5 win.

Humboldt’s

Karley Wools and Carsyn Haviland both singled and scored on a Ross two-run double. Skyler Hottenstein and Tavyn Baylor then

walked before Chanlynn Wrestler drove home three more runs on a triple for the 5-0 lead. Morgan Sterling walked

and Wools doubled home a run before Shaughnessy blasted a three-run home run for the 10-0 advantage in the first inning. Ross walked and scored on a S. Hottenstein RBI double for the 11-0 edge.

The Lady Cubs scored seven in the bottom of the second inning, beginning with a Chloe Daniels walk and wrapping up with a S. Hottenstein RBI single for the 18-0 lead. After Osawatomie plated five runs in the top of the third inning, the Lady Cubs came back in the fifth inning and plated their final four runs. Daniels knocked an RBI single to put an exclamation point on a 22-5 drubbing.

“We hit the ball well. Elev-

See TRACK | Page B2

7. Gentry McGhee, Crest, 18’ 8”; 8. Miller, 18’ 6”; 11. Stephenson, 18’ 1”.

Boys triple jump — 1. Godderz, 41’ 6”; 7. Stephenson, 34’ 8”. 8. Byron Westbrook, Humboldt, 33’ 5.50”.

Boys discus — 3. Maddox Johnson, Humboldt, 136’ 1”; 5. Jaydon Morrison, Iola, 126’ 6”; 6. Thom-

Tuesday:

Monday: Baseball/SB v. Oswego, 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday: Track and field day

Thursday: Track @ Pleasanton, 3 p.m.

Tuesday: Baseball/SB @ Burlingame, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday: Track @ Pleasanton, 3 p.m.

Monday: Track @ Emporia State, 3 p.m.

Friday: Track @ Emporia State, 3 p.m.

Wildcats get down early; can’t recover

MORAN — The Marmaton Valley High baseball team got down early and could never recover in a pair of home losses to Pleasanton Thursday. The Wildcats fought to take the lead late in a game one loss by scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning but ultimately fell, 8-7. Then in game two, Marmaton Valley didn’t have any answers for Pleasanton’s lineup in a 14-1 loss.

Game one

Marmaton Valley scored first by scoring one run in the bottom of the second inning before Pleasanton responded with four runs in the top of the third. The Blu-Jays scored another run in the fourth inning for the 5-1 lead

Marmaton Valley’s Chase Smith rounds second base. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

before the sixth inning explosion.

In the sixth inning, Pleasanton plated three runs before Marmaton Valley scored six runs

Humboldt: dominates Oz

and brought the deficit within one, 8-7. The Wildcats couldn’t bring another run across home plate in the final two innings and ulti-

mately fell by one run. Tyler Lord had a team-high two RBI’s while Dylan Drake knocked a team-high

See MORAN | Page B8

Cubs: Crush Oz

Continued from B1

Continued from B1 was really good tonight. He had had them guessing at the plate and was attacking the strike zone. He was very efficient.”

Humboldt was able to get a hold of Osawatomie starting pitcher Walker Beets

who didn’t record an out and gave up six runs in the first inning. Three more runs came across home plate in the inning off Osawatomie reliever Aidan Gould.

Humboldt travels to Caney Valley on Monday at 4:30 p.m.

en runs in the first inning is pretty good,” Humboldt head coach Brad Piley said. “I was pleased in the first inning with our hitting. In the second game it took a little while to put things together.”

Game two Shaughnessy shut down Osawatomie’s lineup and Humboldt struck for two runs in the first inning, six runs in the third and another three runs in the fifth for the 11-0 win. The third inning was the Lady Cubs big inning when they scored six runs.

Haviland and Ross scored in the bottom of the first inning for the early 2-0 lead. It was followed up by Shaughnessy mowing down the first eight batters and not allowing a base runner until the third inning, a Lexie Palmer walk.

“It’s huge when you can get somebody on base and get them moved around the bases that fast,” Piley said. “Laney (Hull) is one of our best base runners and can score very fast. That’s huge for when

we get to regionals and runs are more limited.”

Shaughnessy worked all five innings while allowing only one hit and three total base runners. The first five batters in Humboldt’s lineup scored in the bottom of the third while Wrestler also got in on the fun and ripped a home run for the 8-0 lead. Daniels then drove in two runs in the fifth and then she scored the final run for the 11-0 win.

Humboldt travels to Caney Valley Monday at 4:30 p.m.

MAY

Track: Area teams meet at Humboldt Invite

Continued from B1

as Nickel, SCC, 126’ 4”; 7. Evan Kent, MV, 121’ 2”; 10. Reeston Cox, 106’ 3”. Boys javelin — 3. Cox, 135 feet; 4. Brayden Lawson, MV, 129’ 7”; 5. Johnson, 128’ 5”; 8. Rolf, 119’ 4”; 10. Bryce Ensminger, MV, 110’ 5”, 12. Garren Goodner, Humboldt, 109’ 8”. Boys shot put — 2. Kent, 44’ 9.50”; 3. Nickel, 41’ 9”; 8. Cox, 38’ 3”; 10. Goodner, 37’ 7”.

Girls 100-meter dash

— 5. Kylah Sanders, MV, 14.39; 8. Mia Coleman, Crest, 14.75; 13. Kyla Houston, SCC, 15.59; 14. Ella Lassman, Humboldt, 15.70; 16. Josey Ellis, Humboldt, 15.77

Girls 200-meter dash

— 4. Sanders, 29.31; 9. Ricklyn Hillmon, Hum-

boldt, 30.57; 11. Cassidy Friend, 32.62; 12. Josey Ellis, Humboldt, 32.63.

Girls 800-meter run

— 1. Peyton Schmidt, Crest, 2:42.34; 3. McKenna Jones, Humboldt, 2:45.08; 5. Skylar Hottenstein, 2:59.25; 10. Houston, 3:14.97.

Girls 1600-meter run

— 2. Josie Walter, Crest, 5:44.16; 5. Aubrey Allen, Crest, 6:31.08; 8. Tori Melendez, Humboldt, 7:07.59; 9. Sophia Heim, MV, 7:13.21.

Girls 3200-meter run

— 2. Walter, 12:32.38; 3. Schmidt, 13:10.82; 5. Allen, 14:11.65.

Girls 100-meter hurdles — 3. Laney Hull, Humboldt, 17.76; 5. Coleman, 18.62; 9. Brinley McGhee, Crest, 19.41; 11. Morgan Hunter, 20.64;

14. Assya Goforth, 23.40.

Girls 300-meter hurdles — 4. Hull, 51.42; 8. Heisler, 57.83;

Girls 4x100 meter relay

— 3. Crest, 53.80; 5. Humboldt, 55.85.

Girls 4x400 meter relay — 3. Marmaton Valley, 4:38.22; 4. Crest, 4:39.83;

5. Humboldt, 4:40.64.

Girls 4x800 meter relay — 3. Humboldt, 11:45.36.

Girls high jump — 1. Hull, 4’ 10”; 2. Kaitlyn Drake, MV, 4’ 10”; 3. Piper Barney, MV, 4’ 8”; 8. Lassman, 4’ 2”; 10. Hillmon, 4’ 2”.

Girls long jump — 1.

Janae Granere, MV, 16’ 8.25”; 2. Barney, 16’ 4”; 4. McGhee, 14’ 4.25”; 6. Kinley Edgerton, 13’ 10”; 7. Kaitlyn Drake, MV, 13’ 4.50”; 12. Mallory Sinclair, Humboldt, 12’ 5”

Girls triple jump — 1. Granere, 35’ 10”; 3. Barney, 34’ 0.5”; 4. Morgan

Sterling, Humboldt, 32’ 8”; 6. Sanders, 30’ 2.50”.

Girls pole vault — 8. Heisler, 6 feet.

Girls discus — 1. Kinley Tucker, 101’ 11”; 2. Emily Ludolph, 100’ 11”; 4. Jalea True, SCC, 92’ 3”; 11. Kenisyn Hottenstein, 73’ 2.50”; 12. Miley Patterson, SCC, 72’ 7.25”.

Girls javelin — 1. K. Hottenstein, 111’ 6”; 3. Karley Ohl, SCC, 99’ 6”; 5. Carsyn Haviland, Humboldt, 93’ 5”; 7. Hunter, 81’ 8”; 10. Ross Snovelle, 77’ 6”.

Girls shot put — 1. Ludolph, 34’ 9”; 2. True, 32’ 3.50”; 3. Tucker, 31’ 8”; 4. Ohl, 29’ 4”; 7. K. Hottenstein, 28’ 6”; 9. Haviland, 27’ 8”.

Humboldt competes in Iola on Monday at 4 p.m.

Humboldt’s Mateo Miller, right, races in the hurdles. REGISTER/QUINN BURKITT

DELIVERY/SERVICE

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Starting pay is $17.00 per hour. The job is based in Iola.

apply in person at D of K Vaults, 304 Portland, Iola, KS – Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EOE

Pride organizers keep eye on drag laws

HARTFORD, Conn.

(AP) — Tennessee organizers booked more than 50 drag entertainers for next month’s Midsouth Pride festival in Memphis now that the state’s new law placing strict limits on cabaret shows is temporarily on hold.

But they are being cautious, making adjustments to performances should the limits of the first-in-the-nation law essentially banning drag from public property or in the presence of minors kick in before June celebrations.

“As soon as this stuff started making its way, I immediately started coming out with plans to be able to counteract that,” said longtime festival organizer Vanessa Rodley. “Because, at the end of the day, we can’t put on an event that then segregates a huge portion of our community, right? We just can’t do that. So you have to find ways around it.”

The show must go on.

Organizers of Pride festivals and parades in mostly conservative states where there’s been a broader push targeting LGBTQ+ rights

have been under increasing pressure to censor their events. They’re taking steps like editing acts and canceling drag shows in order to still hold their annual celebrations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer identity in today’s contentious climate.

In some cases, they are trying to navigate broad legislative language that can equate drag performances and story hours with “adultoriented performances that are harmful to minors,” as in the Tennessee law. In other places, Pride organizers have had to fight for local permits that were pro forma in past years, facing off with critics at local city council meetings who oppose drag.

Most Pride organizations are busy “doing their homework” and investigating how legislation popping up around the country may impact their events, said Ron deHarte, copresident for the U.S. Association of Prides. And in more progressive states like California, this year’s Pride events will be an opportunity

to make a larger statement and raise awareness about the LGBTQ+ community, he said.

“Our members attract more than 20 million people in the United States to their events every year,” deHarte said. “So when you talk about the collective impact that Pride organizers can have, not only in their community but across the country, it is powerful.”

Bills to limit or ban drag were filed in more than a dozen states. The only other state set to enact a law is Florida, where Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to sign a bill.

Kayla Bates, a founder of ELGbtq+, an organizer of the community Pride festival and parade in Elgin, Illinois, said they expect a large turnout for the inaugural event given the legislation targeting transgender rights and drag shows elsewhere.

“I think people want to really make it known that they back us and that we should feel safe and protected in our community,” Bates said.

Often held in June, Pride events began as

way to commemorate the uprising by New York’s LGBTQ+ communities in 1969, known as the Stonewall rebellion, and as a way to celebrate the LGBTQ+ rights movement.

In New York City, a Pride rally planned for June 17 and a parade on June 25 will have a national theme: “Strength in Solidarity.”

Sue Doster, co-chairperson of NYC Pride, said they’re putting a spotlight on the transgender community and drag queens, targets of the recent legislation in conservative states.

“They’re attacking these people because they’re less likely to stand up and fight back, which is why it’s important that we all come together in solidarity and speak up when we see these injustices,” Doster said.

Backlash against transgender individuals, drag performances and Pride events is not new. Last year, 31 members of a white supremacist group were arrested near an Idaho Pride event after they were found packed into the back of a U-Haul truck with riot gear.

Wife thinks her husband might be gay

Dear Carolyn: My husband denies he’s gay but the sex stopped as soon as I said, “I do.” I thought it was me, and we had to see the fertility specialist to get pregnant twice. He hit 50 and became more obvious, and now I realize he is gay. He speaks in an effeminate manner, makes eyes at waiters, touches and bumps into males (even my friends’ husbands), and doesn’t make physical contact with me or other women.

I know my friends all suspect, and I worry about job security if he’s like this at work. I’m a stay-at-home mom and not leaving him, but I want him to stop being so obvious. How do I approach this? — Anonymous

Anonymous: His being “so obvious” is the least of it. Those “touches and bumps” are inviting a harassment lawsuit or an assault charge, regardless of the sex of the people he’s bumping. It’s not about orientation or mannerisms; it’s about consent.

Carolyn Hax

That’s not to say the extreme sexual neglect, the apparent baldfaced lies, the apparent secret homosexuality while wed to an unwitting hetero spouse, the disregard for boundaries, the two children in your home witnessing all this, your depleted self-confidence and your economic disempowerment are minor concerns. Each of them is significant and unto itself worth your exploring solo with a therapist.

So please do that, ASAP — if you have the means to, which I know not everyone does. And either way, start formulating a financial Plan B for you and your kids. Do this even ASAPer, if that’s a thing, even if you’re certain you’ll never leave. I may be overreacting and you may be fine, but this situation has a whiff of

ozone before a storm.

And: Tell your husband you’re uncomfortable with how touchy he’s become with others. Say you find it inappropriate. Say you fear his job is at risk, or worse.

And … ugh. Tell him you are a real person with needs and feelings and a working BS meter and none of this is okay.

Dear Carolyn: Our group of friends switches turns eating dinner at one another’s homes. Four of the five couples eat most foods and one couple is vegan. When the four couples make food at our homes, we make both meat and at least one vegan dish, plus vegetables, salads. The food is always good. However, when we go to the vegan couple’s house, they make only vegan food. This does not sit well with some of the couples, who think they should at least prepare or purchase nonvegan food for others, since the non-vegan couples go out of our way to prepare a vegan dish.

They say they cannot

TurboTax customers to receive checks

WASHINGTON (AP)

— Millions of Americans who qualified for free tax services — but were instead deceived into paying TurboTax for their returns — will soon get settlement checks in the mail.

In a settlement last year, TurboTax’s owner Intuit Inc. was ordered to pay $141 million to some 4.4 million people across the country.

Those impacted were low-income consumers eligible for free, federally-supported tax servic-

CRYPTOQUOTES

es — but paid TurboTax to file their federal returns across the 2016, 2017 and 2018 tax years due to “predatory and deceptive marketing,”

New York Attorney General Letitia James said.

All 50 states and the District of Columbia signed the May 2022 settlement, which was led by James. Consumers eligible for restitution payments do not need to file a claim, the New York Attorney’s General Office said Thursday. They will be notified by an email from Rust Consulting, the settlement fund administrator, and receive a check automatically.

Checks will be mailed starting next week, and continue through the month of May. The amount paid to each eligible consumer ranges from $29 to $85 — depending on the number of tax years they qualify for.

“TurboTax’s predatory and deceptive marketing cheated millions of low-income Americans who were trying to fulfill their legal duties to file their taxes,” James said in a Thursday statement. “Today we are righting that wrong and putting money back into the pockets of hardworking taxpayers who should have never paid to file their taxes.”

cook any meat, cheese or other dairy products in their house as a rule.

One of the couples wants to stop making vegan dishes altogether at their house and the vegan couple can fend for themselves. This is causing a rift in our group. So how do we resolve this one? — Anonymous

Anonymous: Sweet holy beans. It’s not “vegan food” — it’s plants. Eat the plants your friends prepare for you. That’s how you “resolve this one.”

Pasta? Red sauce? Peanut noodles?

Heaven forbid, you eat a potato.

If you get woozy after three hours without animal products, then keep some jerky in your pocket.

“One of the couples,” by the way, the fendfor-themselvers? Careful. To be that hostile and petty — to friends, no less, who are feeding them dinner — sounds deeply jerky to me.

Also by the way, I’m an omnivore. Just not afraid of plants.

ZITS by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman

BEETLE BAILEY by Mort Walker

HAGAR THE HORRIBLE by Chris Browne

BLONDIE by Young and Drake

MUTTS by Patrick McDonell

MARVIN by Tom Armstrong

HI AND LOIS by Chance Browne

3 x 8” ad

Q: What do you think got “The Neighborhood” to its recent 100th episode, which you directed?

A: The cast is just really dynamic. That’s been really one of the key things, I believe, to the longevity and the success of the show that we’ve had. And, of course, our writing staf f and just the whole family environment here.

We feel ver y blessed to be able to be doing a show on a big, major network at this time. I’m really proud of that (100th-episode) milestone, as well as getting the great news that we’ll be back for a sixth season.

Q: What was your own neighborhood like when you were young?

A: I grew up in St. Louis, definitely the kind of neighborhood where you knew ever ybody up and down the block, the dif ferent families. You knew the houses not to go to. All of these things were a par t of being a great neighborhood.

Now, of course, it’s ver y dif ferent. One, I’m extremely rich. I have to live behind 13 gates, I believe, right now. There’s several security guards to even get to my own bedroom. (In the pandemic era,) ever ybody had to get outside. We were walking, and that was the first time in recent years that I had an oppor tunity to kind of find out about people who lived near me, and see their faces and know who they were.

Q: When did you first get the sense that comedy could be a career for you?

A: You know, for me, it was in junior high school, you know ... that eighth- or ninthgrade era of your life, when you are kind of transitioning from being your mother’s kid to this guy that’s going to have your own identity and your friend group. You are getting a little more independence.

I think that’s when my sense of humor star ted to jump out and when I was aware of it, especially when I star ted getting in trouble at school for being funny – doing things that I thought was just me being myself, and I’d find out I would have the kids all laughing. Then the teacher would blame me for being disruptive, and I was like, “Oh. This is something.”

MV: Slips against Pleasanton

Continued from B2

two hits. Wyatt Ard, Kason Becker and Brevyn Campbell each drove in a run as well. Chase Smith scored a teamhigh two runs.

Ard started on the mound and went 5.2 innings, surrendering six runs on 11 hits with five strikeouts. Dominic Smith pitched 1.1 inning in relief, allowing two runs on one hit.

Game two

The Wildcats were held scoreless until the fourth inning in a game in which the Blu-Jays scored four runs in the first inning and five runs in the third. D. Smith knocked home the lone run

for Marmaton Valley in the fourth inning. Lord started on the mound and worked 3.2 innings, allowing 14 runs to cross home plate on 13 hits while striking out four Pleasanton batters. D. Smith pitched 0.1 innings in relief and struck out one while walking one. Lucas Bloemer closed on the mound, not allowing a hit. Pleasanton was led at the plate by Karsten’s three RBI’s while Hayden and Brice each drove in two runs. Tony had a team-high three hits while Karsten, Braden, and Sy each had two hits.

Marmaton Valley travels to Burlingame on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

Derby long shots get second look

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) —

Two long shots winning the Kentucky Derby over the past four years might be coincidental, but they also are a reminder not to dismiss any of the 19 horses running Saturday at Churchill Downs. Especially since Rich Strike and Country House demonstrated how some faith could pay off big.

Country House’s stunning elevation in 2019 from Derby runner-up to winner stood out initially because of the unprecedented circumstance in which stewards disqualified Maximum Security for interference after he crossed the line first.

An eye-popping payout of

$132.40 followed for the 59-1 long shot, which ranked as the second-highest payout until Rich Strike came out of nowhere last May to overtake favorite Epicenter in the stretch and post the dramatic upset. Rich Strike returned $163.60 at nearly 81-1, second only to Donerail’s $184.90 in 1913. His remarkable run still generates buzz, which might stir interest in nine starters saddled with morning line odds of 30-1 to 50-1. “It’s a race where the odds don’t really matter nearly as much as they do in the other races because the favorite can get a bad draw at the post,” Rich Strike’s trainer,

Eric Reed, said this week.

“If I’m handicapping the Derby, I always look first and foremost for a horse that can get the distance because three-quarters of the field won’t. And if you can single out the one that will, then you’ve got a horse that’s going to run in the top five or six,” Reed said.

Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher has the top two 3-year-old choices on Saturday in Forte (3-1), who is on a five-race winning streak, and Tapit Trice (5-1), who rallied to win the Blue Grass at Keeneland. Angel of Empire (8-1) is the third choice and trained by Louisville-born Brad Cox.

six races in 1999 and finished fifth in the standings. His careerbest finish came in 2000 (third).

Dover double-dip for the Truex family

field after qualifying was cancelled due to weather, methodically worked his way forward in the No. 19 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. The 42-year-old New Jersey native finally took the lead for the first time with 69 laps remaining and led all but one of those final laps to claim his first points-paying victory of the season, ending a 54-race winless streak.

He and his JGR pit crew ultimately had to earn the win with pit strategy and pit execution. On a pit stop during the race’s final caution period, Truex’s team opted to put only fresh rightside tires on his Toyota. With the quick stop, he was able to beat the field back out to the track and then on the ensuing restart — with seven laps to go — hold off a hard-charging Ross Chastain, whose No. 1 Trackhouse Racing Chevrolet had taken four fresh tires on the stop.

“It feels incredible,” Truex said. “I feel like we’ve been close a bunch of times, that’s for sure. Felt today, with that caution, what’s going to happen here and then good call by (crew chief) James (Small) to take two (tires) and then I was able to get a pretty good restart.”

Chastain, who took his fourth stage win of the season, finished a slight .505 seconds behind Truex but was unable to make up any real ground on the leader in the closing laps after passing Ryan Blaney, who also took only two tires on that final stop.

“Gosh, so close again,” said Chastain, who led 98 laps. “It’s surreal to continue to race against my all-time heroes.”

Team Penske’s Blaney finished third – his sixth top 10 of the season and second top three in the last two races. Hendrick Motorsports driver William Byron led a race-best 193 laps and added his series-best sixth stage win before finishing fourth. It marks the second time he’s led the most laps in a race this year but not claimed the victory.

Truex’s JGR teammates Denny Hamlin and Christopher Bell finished fifth and sixth.

Tyler Reddick, Brad Keselowski, Chris Buescher and Josh Berry rounded out the top 10. Berry was driving the No. 48 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet in place of Alex Bowman, who suffered a back injury racing sprint cars last Tuesday.

It marks the 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Truex’s 32nd career win and first since a victory at Richmond, Va., on Sept. 11, 2021. Snapping the streak and sharing Dover’s Victory

Circle with his younger brother, Ryan, truly made the week for the veteran.

“It’s just special, you know,” Truex said. “This is a special place. Good day for my family and to see Ryan win Saturday, he’s worked so hard for so long to get good opportunities. “And then for us, we’ve given away a few here over the years so it’s nice to see it come around our way. Just excited and had a hot rod. Just needed to get it out front.”

The event was pushed to a Monday start after steady rain on its scheduled Sunday date. Three of Truex’s four Dover wins have come on Mondays.

Chastain was involved in one of the race’s early incidents, which knocked pre-race favorite Kyle Larson from contention. Chastain nudged the slower car of Brennan Poole into a spin, and Poole’s No. 15 Ford skidded into the path of Larson’s No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Larson continued after extensive repairs and finished 32nd, 41 laps down. Poole was sidelined with a 33rd-place result and had harsh words for Chastain after a quick check at the infield care center.

Kyle Busch started from the pole position but was penalized on Lap 22 for speeding during the first round of pit stops. After the team was sent to the back of the field, Busch’s No. 8 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet sustained front-end damage in a Lap 34 stack-up that eliminated the cars of Daniel Suárez

JGR team owner and Hall of Famer Joe Gibbs gives a thumbs up to Martin Truex Jr. after Truex’s win.