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Iola beats weather in tennis at Fort Scott
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
County approves budget despite pushback By the Register staff
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Dillons targets COVID vaccinations
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Texas abortion ban takes effect PAGE A5 STAR projects not meeting goals
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Commissioners have approved Allen County’s budget for the coming year. But it wasn’t without some push-back. Multiple residents attended Tuesday’s meeting lamenting that their taxes were too high. Resident Larry Macha, for example, spoke about “wants versus needs,” suggesting the county was spending too much on the former. Macha shared data from the Kansas Policy Institute, comparing Iola/Allen County’s tax rates to other states and counties. (The KPI is a right-wing think tank whose goals include eliminating income taxes, cutting corporate taxes and privatizing public education.) In a similar vein, resident Dick Works urged commissioners to look at the county’s services and see what cuts might be made. Later in the meeting, however, Works approached commissioners
Resident Larry Macha appeals to Allen County commissioners to recalculate their annual budget in order to lower property taxes. REGISTER/TREVOR HOAG with hat in hand asking them to consider purchasing a new site for the Humboldt Senior Center, which is experiencing problems such as water in the basement. Works said a former funeral home in town would be a “good investment.” Its price
tag is $130,000. Commissioner Jerry Daniels defended the commission, saying, “we did lower the mill levy. We haven’t raised anything.” He also pointed out specific valuation numbers assigned by state and federal authori-
ties, such that local officials cannot make modifications. Commissioner Bruce Symes said he felt that the county had done its due diligence regarding the budget as well, and noted that many departments had even made cuts on their own, without commissioners having to step in. By contrast, commissioner David Lee suggested he was willing to reconsider the budget’s details, as he ultimately voted against approval. For example, he suggested that the county’s transportation programs were “wants” as opposed to “needs,” and might ultimately be eliminated. Despite Lee’s hesitancy, Daniels and Symes had the votes to pass the budget in its current form, 2-1. IN OTHER NEWS, Thrive Allen County’s economic deSee COUNTY | Page A5
Biden defends departure from a ‘forever war’ WASHINGTON (AP) — A defensive President Joe Biden called the U.S. airlift to extract more than 120,000 Americans, Afghans and other allies from Afghanistan to end a 20-year war an “extraordi- President Joe nary success,” Biden though more than 100 Americans and thousands of others were left
behind. Twenty-four hours after the last American C-17 cargo plane roared off from Kabul, Biden spoke to the nation and vigorously defended his decision to end America’s longest war and withdraw all U.S. troops ahead of an Aug. 31 deadline. “I was not going to extend this forever war,” Biden declared Tuesday from the White House. “And I was not going to extend a forever
Dr. Jose Perez Reisler is the new sociology professor at Allen Community College. He grew up in Puerto Rico. The black-and-white Resistance flag, shown behind him, is a symbol of independence and was created in response to a U.S. financial oversight board that controls the territory’s finances. REGISTER/VICKIE MOSS
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Taking a revolutionary approach By VICKIE MOSS The Iola Register
The life — and especially the death — of former Grenada leader Maurice Bishop fascinates Dr. Jose Perez Reisler. Bishop, the prime minister of Grenada from 1979 to 1983, was assassinated by members of his own party. Though it’s a generation away and on a distant Caribbean island, Bishop’s story of activism rings true today. Though his tenure was brief, Bishop’s role as prime minister was marked by his commitment to improving workers’ rights, women’s rights, and the struggle against racism and apartheid. “Maurice Bishop and his closest followers were murdered on Oct. 19, 1983, so unfortunately they can’t tell their side of the story,” Perez Reisler said.
“I always had an interest in Latin American revolutions and I always had interest in the revolution in the island of Grenada.” Perez Reisler is the new sociology professor at Allen Community College. He’s looking forward to engaging with a diverse group of students and encouraging them to interact as they consider their roles in society. PEREZ REISLER grew up on a dairy farm in San Sebastian, Puerto Rico. In high school, he started to play chess. That skill would later help fund his education. “It’s like every sport. You have to learn a lot of openings. There’s a whole database that tells you the statistics of whatever opening you’re playing,” he said. “There’s a lot of math and you have to remember ev-
erything, so a lot of memory, too.” After high school, he traveled to the University of Maryland to earn his bachelor’s degree in psychology and minor in sociology. He also studied history. Perez Reisler was a McNair Scholar, a national program that promotes first-generation and underrepresented minorities to help them pursue advanced degrees. That lengthy process took Perez Reisler around the world. He studied at Northwestern University, earned his master’s degree from the University of Puerto Rico and his doctorate at a university in Spain. “Teaching was always the plan but my funding dried up while I was doing my PhD, so I started having to work,” he said. “I did whatever I could See ACC | Page A6
School playground Richard Klingensmith, who lives across the street from the site of the new Iola Elementary School at Kentucky and Monroe streets, enjoys watching a family of foxes visit the construction zone. He believes the foxes live across the highway, behind A&W. They’ll usually visit the school site on weekends, when construction crews aren’t active. COURTESY PHOTO
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