Basketball: Allen men win thriller over Neosho See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Thursday, February 20, 2014
Rep. Jenkins remains optimistic amid struggles By SUSAN LYNN The Iola Register
Congress is an “incredibly difficult environment” in which to work, said Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins, “but most of the drama is behind us with the recent passage of the appropriations bill to fund the government.” Jenkins met with a small group of constituents Wednes-
Pennies add up for MOMs fundraiser
day morning at the courthouse. Jenkins assured U.S. veterans their benefits would remain uninterrupted in the budget that passed in midDecember. While Jenkins and Kevin Yoder voted in favor of the spending bill, their Republican counterparts, Mike Pompeo and Tim Huelskamp, voted against it. Now in her sixth year rep-
resenting the Second District in Washington, D.C., Jenkins said she is eager to get the government “back on schedule” with addressing things like the budget in a timely manner, “instead of in bite-size pieces.” The federal government’s deadline for a budget is Oct. 1. “I’m ready to do things the right way,” she said. She’s also ready to do away
with the acrimony that has tainted D.C. politics. “We’re tired of brinkmanship, on both sides of the aisle,” she said of Democrats and Republicans. “It hasn’t worked, and the American people don’t appreciate it.” As a Republican, Jenkins said she would like to “repeal and replace,” the Affordable Care Act and laid the blame for much of the country’s ills
A ’60s REVIVAL
at its feet. As regards to raising the federal minimum wage up from $7.25 an hour, Jenkins regarded the measure as a “job killer,” and not having a chance in the Republicandominated House of Representatives. Instead of higher pay, Jenkins said most Americans See JENKINS | Page A6
Shout celebrates women’s liberation
As local students have proved over the past few months, pennies can really add up. Students from Jefferson Elementary and Iola Middle School donated a total $1,064.39 on Wednesday to the MOMs group for the construction of a special-needs access playground at Riverside Park. Girls from BLING (Building See PENNIES | Page A5
STATE
House panel reviews school bill TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House committee heard testimony Wednesday from an overflow crowd of several hundred on legislation that would bar use of the Common Core standards for reading and math in public schools. Supporters and opponents of the standards filled the House Education Committee meeting room and the adjacent corridor for the hearing. Chairwoman Kasha Kelley told the gathering at that start that she appreciated the respect shown by people on both sides of the issue, which was a holdover from the 2013 session. See PANEL | Page A5
By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
T
Letting loose with a song during Iola Community Theatre’s dessert theater production of “SHOUT!” are, from left, Sabra Aguirre, Elyssa Jackson, Pam Tressler, Sara Joy Standridge and Jessica Quinhones. Above, Jackson, as a bride, does one of many solos in the show. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON
he women’s liberation movement of the 1960s comes to life in “SHOUT!” It’s a messy, happy, turbulent time aptly portrayed by five area women whose strong voices and superb acting transport the audience to England, home of the Beatles and Petulia Clark. The play’s title refers to a magazine of the day and its advice columnist, Gwendolyn Holmes. The women heed Ms. Holmes’ guidance — detailed in an off-stage voice — but less dutifully as the turbulent ’60s unfold. Sabra Aguirre, an ICT veteran with a powerful voice, is the lone American in the quintet. Others are Aguirre’s mother, Pam Tressler, who also has been on the ICT stage, and three newcomers, Sara Joy Standridge, Eureka, and Iolans Elyssa Jackson and Jessica Quinhones. A delightful part of the musical-comedy is how well the British characters have mastered their accent. “Bloody” and “bloke” are familiar UK slang terms, but they go much further in assimilating the inflections. Anyone of age in the 1960s will fondly recall songs that are the buoying structure of the show, including “To Sir With Love,” “Downtown,” “Georgy Girl,” “Son of a PreachSee SHOUT | Page A5
A place to call home By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Larry Trester watches as the LaHarpe Rural Volunteer Fire Department’s new facility is being completed. Trester is the department’s chief. REGISTER/BOB JOHNSON
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No.81
LaHARPE — Larry Trester’s longheld dream is about to come true. “We’ve wanted a fire barn, a place to keep all the trucks together, for a long time,” said Trester, chief of LaHarpe’s Rural Volunteer Fire Department. The building will be available by the end of March. Tuesday morning a crew from Amish and Mennonite groups in the El Dorado Springs, Mo., area arrived in LaHarpe, with tools in hand and knowledge that comes from putting
“Always live in the ugliest house on the street — then you don’t have to look at it.” — David Hockney, English painter 75 Cents
up a good many metal buildings. Late Wednesday afternoon the shell of the building, with three large bays facing south, was in place downtown. A concrete floor will be poured Friday and the concrete’s curing will be the only hold-up to volunteers occupying the structure. “That will take about a month,” Trester said. Finishing the interior and putting up doors will follow the concrete pour. The volunteers answer calls in Elm and Deer townships, with most of those who man firefighting equipSee FIRE BARN | Page A5
Hi: 60 Lo: 32 Iola, KS