Shooting: A safe alternative to spring sports See B1
THE IOLA REGISTER Wednesday, March 19, 2014
County: Fire bane keeps burn ban in place
By BOB JOHNSON The Iola Register
Allen County commissioners have a burning desire to prevent wildfires, such as 29 that occurred in the county last week. The fire outbreak prompted a burning ban, which Sheriff Bryan Murphy encouraged commissioners to keep in place at least through today. They gave the sheriff latitude to decide if wind conditions would permit burning later in the week.
Farmers burn pastures to rid grass gone dormant over winter and which cattle find uninviting. “I understand the need for farmers to burn in the spring and 98 percent of them are sensible,” Commissioner Tom Williams said. When permitted, farmers are free to burn pastures during daylight hours — nighttime burning is prohibited — and seldom do problems arise. Meanwhile, Williams said he would like to see penalties in place to discourage disregard for burning regulations.
No need, said County Counselor Alan Weber, “it’s a class A misdemeanor” to burn when a ban is in place. That might be a little too harsh, Williams said, of possible repercussions of being charged with a misdemeanor. Cliff Ralstin, of the Humboldt Union, mentioned an idea that caught fire. Ralstin, who lives in rural Woodson County, said residents there must obtain burn permits at the first of the year. A requirement is to report ahead of time when a pasture or brush is to
be burned. That sounded good to Williams, who asked Weber to take a look. Meanwhile, Murphy urged caution with burning this week, noting windy conditions were forecast for a day or two. With them meeting just Tuesday mornings, commissioners gave Murphy say on when the burning ban will be lifted. The 29 fires last week were a mix of controlled burns that got out of control and others that cropped up for one reaSee BAN | Page A4
STATE NEWS
Lawmakers told to fix school funding By JOHN MILBURN Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — How Kansas lawmakers respond to a recent court decision on school funding will determine whether the courts step in again to correct a gap in funding between poor and rich districts, the state attorney general said Tuesday. Republican Derek Schmidt gave a briefing to members of the House Appropriations Committee, which has been asked by House Speaker Ray Merrick to devise the legislative response to the ruling. The court ruled March 7 that past cuts in state aid to poor school districts created unconstitutional gaps in funding between poor and wealthy districts. The court ordered lawmakers to fix the problem by July 1. Schmidt reiterated that legislators have options for complying with the decision, ranging from full compliance and increasing spending by $129 million, to spending a lesser amount and modifying the school funding formula. He did not provide a specific suggestion for how legislators should respond to the ruling.
Let the good times roll Area youth spent the day at Country Lanes bowling alley Tuesday, as part of the spring break activities with the Iola Recreation Department. Recreation Director Brad Yoder said 14 kids signed up for the event. The next stop on the list of events is at Riverside Park, where the group will have fun playing several different sports. Yoder said youth baseball signups are currently open; for more information, call the department at 365-4990.
At top Jorja Murcko, 9, tries to keep the ball down the middle. At left, Austin Morris is a bit bashful after missing the pins. REGISTER/
STEVEN SCHWARTZ
See FUNDING | Page A4
Benefit a big success Legislators
From left, Andrew Laffery, Theresa Laffery, Lindsey Shaughnessy and Brian Shaughnessy were the organizers for the chili supper Friday night at the Elks Lodge. REGISTER/STEVEN SCHWARTZ
Quote of the day Vol. 116, No. 100
It’s amazing what a little bit of home cooking can do. The Haunt for Hirschsprung group experienced a successful night Friday evening for their chili supper. Theresa Laffery, one of the event’s organizers, said they quadrupled their investment for the chili, and eventually sold out — making it their “single most financially beneficial event to date.” “The real story is that we have tripled awareness for Hirschsprungs,” she said. The rare disease affects the digestive system and has been under the radar for most. Brian and Lindsey
Shaughnessy, along with Andrew and Theresa Laffery, have been organizing events for the Giving Hope Program. The Shaughnessy’s daughter, Maya, has had the disease since age six. The non-profit organization focuses on new research to combat the disease. All of the proceeds from Friday’s chili supper will go to benefit either Giving Hope or the Haunting for Hirschsprung event in October, which also will benefit Giving Hope. Not all of the support was monetary, however. Laffery said during the event See BENEFIT | Page A4
“I no doubt deserved my enemies, but I don’t believe I deserved my friends.” — Walt Whitman 75 Cents
in Iola Saturday
State legislators Kent Thompson and Caryn Tyson, along with U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins hope to chew the fat Saturday morning with area constituents. They will be at the meeting room at Community National Bank from 10 a.m. to noon. The coffee and conversation format is sponsored by Allen County Farm Bureau.
Hi: 58 Lo: 35 Iola, KS